“…In the field of health communication research, one of the most problematic research questions in the treatment of chronic illness is how to improve patients’ self-management through health care professional (HCP)–patient communication (e.g., Burke, Earley, Dixon, Wilke, & Puczynski, 2006; Linmans, van Rossem, Knottnerus, & Spigt, 2015). Earlier studies confirm the importance of this question by showing that patients with chronic illnesses—especially those with type 2 diabetes—have difficulty in achieving optimal glycemic control through a combination of healthy diet, physical activity, and medication (Mulder, Lokhorst, Rutten, & van Woerkum, 2015).…”