Insulin for Individuals with Diabetes A Photovoice Study

Abstract

Purpose: Diabetes is an important health problem, and the most important agent used for its treatment is insulin. However, it is known that patients have problems with insulin use. This study aims to question what insulin means for people with diabetes who use insulin and their wish to use it. Method: The participants of the study consisted of 19 people between the ages of 18 and 70 (Average: 45.57±11.44) who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and using insulin. In the research, the photovoice method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. Photos received from individuals were selected as a baseline, in-depth individual interviews were collected by using a semistructured interview form. Content analysis and interpretation of the data were carried out by two researchers per Colaizzi's steps. Findings: The data obtained from the participants were collected in five main themes and 19 subthemes. Among the themes, "issues" (37.97%) and sub-themes "lack of knowledge" (20.25%) were the most expressed topics by the participants. Conclusion: For people with diabetes, insulin means craving for food, deterioration in body image, further deterioration of health, anxiety about losing control, desperation, and unhappiness due to prohibitions. Individuals use insulin not willingly, but out of necessity. The reason for not wanting to use it is the stigmatization, problems with the workplace, the thought of causing weight gain, the possibility of not being self-sufficient due to the risk of hypoglycemia, and the painful application.