Beran, D.H.; (2012) Developing a hierarchy of needs for Type 1 diabetes. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

Abstract

Onset of Type 1 diabetes leads to a “biographical disruption” where the individual’s life completely changes. International standards for clinical management of diabetes exist, but fail to adequately consider the needs of individuals. The aim of this research was to: investigate the needs of people with Type 1 diabetes; use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a framework to present the results in a hierarchical form; and propose that as Type 1 diabetes can be viewed as a tracer condition the results of this work may be applicable to other Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases. A qualitative approach was taken using semi-structured interviews with 101 people from 13 countries. Grounded Theory was used for data collection and analysis. Content analysis was used to ascertain whether the needs defined by professionals were met or not, and Thematic Analysis to identify the “needs” as defined by the interviewees. The results of the Thematic analysis were developed into a pyramid with “Policies”, “Organisation of Health System”, “Insulin”, “Delivery of insulin”, “Control e.g. blood or urine glucose”, “Healthcare workers” and “Information and education” at the base as they were needed for survival. The next level included “community, family and peers”, and also a changing role for “Healthcare workers” in their approach to care and delivering “Information and education”. This enabled people to start learning how to use “Insulin”, “Delivery of insulin” and “Control e.g. blood or urine glucose” in a flexible way. People’s “Experience” and “Personality” then helped them “Adapt” and “Be Open” about their diabetes and fully participate in society. In turn this allowed for “Acceptance” and ultimately viewing “diabetes as something positive”. This research developed a hierarchy of needs for people with Type 1 diabetes and highlighted the importance of both health and social needs in order to ensure ideal management of diabetes.

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