Experiences of women with type 2 diabetes with self blood sugar monitoring: A vignette research

Objective: This study was conducted to reveal the opinions of adult women diagnosed with type 2 about the problems, obstacles and solutions they experience due to SMBG. Method: The study was conducted between September 2020 and March 2021 with 30 women diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in a state hospital in Antalya. Semi-structured questions in accordance with the individual identifier form and examples of short stories were used to collect the data. Interviews lasted 30-40 minutes. In the analysis of the data, themes were extracted from the interview results and categorized, descriptive and content analysis was made. Results: Participants expressed their perceptions, experiences, obstacles and support for SMBG from their own perspective. At the end of the study, nine main themes were revealed: regretting, being able to take precautions for hypoglycemia thanks to SMBG, recognizing hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, diabete is a difficult disease, opression, fear, obstacles, supports and metaphors in accordance with KKŞT. In addition, 32 sub-themes related to these main themes were determined. Conclusion: The results of the study on SMBG which is an important component of diabetes management can be guide for healthcare professional workers in primary care in solving the problems of SMBG which is an important element of diabetes self-management. Determining the perceptions, obstacles, and supports of female participants with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes can contribute to the content of diabetes education of public health nurse. Keywords: self-monitoring of blood sugar, type 2 diabetes, and vignette