Physicians’ Perspectives on Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health Aspects of People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aim: To explore the physicians’ knowledge, awareness, and perspectives on HRQoL and mental health aspects of people with T2DM in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted over a three-month period (October to December 2022) on 54 physicians. Physicians were requested to respond to a 12-item researcher-designed, self-administered survey questionnaire that explored their perspectives regarding the importance of their patients’ general, physical, and mental health aspects using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-12v2). Results: Overall, 85.2% of physicians were male, with almost two-thirds (64.8%) practising in one medical and more than two-thirds (35%.2%) in the surgical specialties. Most physicians (57.4%) were consultants, which was also reflected in both subgroup specialties (54.3% versus 63.2%, respectively). The majority of physicians (83.3%) asked their patients about their general health; however, only 18.5% responded positively to questions about emotional problems. There was a low positive response to questions relating to the emotional component, such as feeling “calm and peaceful” (38.9%) and “feeling a lot of energy” (35.2%). This was even lower (25.9%) for questions related to mental health. Conclusion: Our study is a “call for action” for future well-designed, multidimensional, and multisectoral research studies that will help broaden knowledge about the magnitude of the current problem. This may improve overall general, physical, and mental health by enhancing patient level of care, adherence to health care plans, and reducing long-term complications.