Needs, concerns and self‐management experiences of people with type 2 diabetes during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased COVID‐19 severity. Little is understood about the needs, concerns and self‐management experiences of people with type 2 diabetes during the COVID‐19 pandemic. AIM: To examine the lived experiences of people with type 2 diabetes during the COVID‐19 pandemic. METHOD: This qualitative study recruited people with type 2 diabetes from the SOUth‐London Diabetes (SOUL‐D) cohort. Semi‐structured interviews via telephone were conducted between September 2020 and January 2021. Deductive thematic analysis derived themes from the data to explore needs, concerns and self‐management experiences of people with type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: Twenty‐nine people with type 2 diabetes were interviewed. Three themes with subthemes were outlined: (1) information needs of people with type 2 diabetes during the Covid‐19 pandemic, (2) concerns about Covid‐19 from people with type 2 diabetes and (3) diabetes self management and well‐being during the Covid‐19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: During a pandemic, there is a need for consistent, diabetes‐specific, messaging from healthcare professionals for people with type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes need support to access digital resources to aid remote communication. Future research could help develop recourses to prevent social isolation and loneliness for people with type 2 diabetes during a pandemic.