Improving quality care for diabetes in the community: What do Cypriot patients want?

Objective: To measure patient preferences for their diabetic care in community setting.

Design: Discrete-choice survey.

Setting: Community setting (primary physician and hospital sites) in Cyprus.

Participants: Diabetic patients attending community sites.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Patient preferences, to estimate which components of quality healthcare service people value, their relative importance but also the potential shift to shared decision-making (SDM).

Results: Older respondents with experience of the private sector already received SDM (managing their care and choosing their treatments; detailed and accurate information, continuity of care; compassion for their personal situation) from their primary care physician with waiting time shorter than 1 h. They valued their 'current' option and they did not want to change it with other services. Younger people from the public sector valued a change in policy and wanted to move from their 'current' to alternative diabetic care services where the waiting times were shorter, they could not only manage their care but also choose their treatments (together with receiving information, continuity of care and compassionate care). Individuals agreed with receiving multidisciplinary care from a team of healthcare providers but they mostly preferred being supported by their primary care physician. The pooled sample valued their 'current' option but they also supported policy changes that would implement SDM service for everybody.

Conclusions: Diabetic patients value SDM and are willing to support a shift of practice to receive it not only in the private but also in the public sector. The forthcoming National Health Insurance Service would aim to address such developments as anticipated both in the European Troika's recommendations and the relevant laws.