Understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care experiences of people with mental-physical multimorbidity: protocol for a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Primary care and other health services have been disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the consequences of these service disruptions on patients' care experiences remain largely unstudied. People with mental-physical multimorbidity are vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic, and to sudden service disruptions. It is thus essential to better understand how their care experiences have been impacted by the current pandemic. This study aims to improve understanding of the care experiences of people with mental-physical multimorbidity during the pandemic and identify strategies to enhance these experiences. METHODS: We will conduct a mixed-methods study with multi-phase approach involving four distinct phases. Phase 1 will be a qualitative descriptive study in which we interview individuals with mental-physical multimorbidity and health professionals in order to explore the impacts of the pandemic on care experiences, as well as their perspectives on how care can be improved. The results of this phase will inform the design of study phases 2 and 3. Phase 2 will involve journey mapping exercises with a sub-group of participants with mental-physical multimorbidity to visually map out their care interactions and experiences over time and the critical moments that shaped their experiences. Phase 3 will involve an online, cross-sectional survey of care experiences administered to a larger group of people with mental disorders and/or chronic physical conditions. In phase 4, deliberative dialogues will be held with key partners to discuss and plan strategies for improving the delivery of care to people with mental-physical multimorbidity. Pre-dialogue workshops will enable us to synthesize an prepare the results from the previous three study phases. DISCUSSION: Our study results will generate much needed evidence of the positive and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care experiences of people with mental-physical multimorbidity and shed light on strategies that could improve care quality and experiences.

Exploring the Lived Experience of Diabetes Through an Intersectional Lens: A Qualitative Study of Adults With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Our aim in this study was to explore the lived experience of adults living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes through an intersectional sex- and gender-based analysis plus lens. METHODS: Qualitative interviews with 15 adults (9 women, 6 men) were conducted in February and March 2021. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed for semantic and latent themes noting differences in participants' accounts of living with diabetes by gender, age, race and ethnicity, type of diabetes and other key demographics. RESULTS: Participants' experiences differed substantively by gender, age and racialization. "Resilience" was identified as a central feature in participants' lives. Factors that contributed to resilience included supportive relationships, a feeling of agency and social acceptance; confounding factors included unsupportive relationships, a lack of agency and experiences of stigma, discrimination and microaggressions. CONCLUSIONS: Lived experiences of diabetes can best be understood through an intersectional lens that considers peoples' diverse socioeconomic locations and identities. Those who experience discrimination, including women, older individuals and racialized people, may also experience the compounding effects of multiple marginalization, requiring greater investment in factors that contribute to their resilience. Considering the varied needs of diverse individuals should be integrated into routine diabetes care.

Language Matters - A Diabetes Canada Consensus Statement.

Language reflects and shapes our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and experiences and can have a profound impact on the lives of people with and at risk for diabetes. Inappropriate language has a negative impact on self-efficacy, well-being and confidence of people living with diabetes, can seriously undermine experiences with health-care providers and, more broadly, can contribute to diabetes stigma. To date, Diabetes Canada has had no formal position to facilitate positive and affirming attitudes towards diabetes, which is reflected by the use of more appropriate language around diabetes. This consensus statement was developed by Diabetes Canada, by a working group comprised of health-care professionals and lived experience subject matter experts (LESME: patient partners) and validated by volunteers from Diabetes Canada's Professional Section and Diabetes Action Canada's Patient Circles. The principles outlined in this document will be valuable in three broad domains: 1) Diabetes Canada's internal and external communications, 2) increasing public awareness of diabetes and reduction of stigma around diabetes and 3) enhancing the health, wellness and self-efficacy of persons living with diabetes. A major strategy to effect change in this third domain will be to disseminate these concepts broadly among all current (and future) health-care professionals to help integrate positive and supportive attitudes in everyday clinical practice.