'Not just a diabetic': Exploring the service needs of young people with diabetes.

Background: Diabetes is a complex chronic health condition that can have a significant impact on physical health and psychological wellbeing. Diabetes management can be particularly difficult for young people (YP) with a diagnosis, and complications arising from poor diabetes self-care can be personally and economically costly. There are ongoing local and national priorities to improve diabetes care management (NHS England, 2016/2017) and streamline resources. A service evaluation was commissioned to understand YP's experiences of living with diabetes. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to elicit YP's (16-25) experiences of living with diabetes. Eight YP were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Results: Five themes were identified from the data: 1) Experience of diagnosis, 2) Day-to-day management, 3) Self-identity, 4) Interactions with staff and 5) Peer support. Conclusions: Overall, the findings of this evaluation indicated that YP found navigating and balancing the demands of diabetes and engagement in typical developmental activities a challenging process. These were sometimes at odds with the priorities of healthcare professionals (HCPs), and lead to differences in the perception of optimal diabetes management. This in turn often had a major impact on engagement and diabetes self-care. The evaluation identified that there is an important role for a psychology service to support the psychological wellbeing of YP with diabetes and to create a shared understanding between YP and HCPs to help increase engagement, collaboration and self-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]