Abstract

The aim of this study was to find out how patients with type-2 diabetes reflected on self-care and the information about selfcareactivites regarding diabetic footulcers.

The study has a descriptive design with a qualitative approach. The study included fourteen patients with type-2 diabetes and they had footulcers related to their disease. They were recruited from different health centres in two cities in the Middle Sweden. The patients were interviewed and the interviewes were transcribed and worked up with qualitative content analysis. The authors recived seven subcategories which were sorted into two categories; reflection regarding information about self-care and reflection regarding self-care. The subcategories showed what the patients reflections were about information regarding self-care and the reflection regarding the self-care they performed. Reflection about information regarding self-care showed that approximately half of the interviewed patients were satisfied with the information they had got about the disease. They were also satisfied with the information about self-care they had recived from their diabetic nurse and doctor. In the category reflection regarding selfcareactivities you could see that the patients thought that selfcareactivities were important. They did not see the conection between a well peroformed self-care and that it reduced the risks of complications. Most of the patients were satisfied with the help they got from professional healthcare professionals.

Keyword:  Diabetic foot ulcers, information, self-care