Understanding diabetes self-management using the Model of Human Occupation

Abstract

Introduction

Over 400 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Research suggests that people struggle to manage their diabetes and an in-depth understanding of the lived experience of diabetes is required to inform and promote occupational therapy practice. This article reports on one part of a PhD study into the role of occupational therapy in diabetes self-management.

Method

Semi-structured interviews using an intuitive inquiry methodology were conducted with 22 people with diabetes in three separate studies. Analysis of the lived experience of all participants was drawn together to explore the understanding of diabetes self-management from an occupational perspective using the Model of Human Occupation.

Findings

The occupation of diabetes self-management was conceptualised with seven inter-related occupational forms. Challenges were related to occupational identity, volition, habituation, performance capacity and the context in which these took place.

Conclusion

This study, embedded in the experiences of those with diabetes, suggests that occupational therapy has a distinct role in diabetes self-management, through seeing this self-management as an occupation. The use of the Model of Human Occupation enables a focus on the characteristics of the occupational forms and how these might be adapted for successful occupational engagement.