‘Shape the Dialogue’ campaign launch – 88% of physicians agree¹ quality of conversation at diagnosis linked to better patient outcomes

The topic of patient–physician dialogue was addressed at the recent Middle East, Turkey and Africa Regional Interchange on Diabetes on Nov 6-7th, 2015: an annual event hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim that brings together close to 300 diabetes experts to discuss pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to diabetes management.

The latest figures from the International Diabetes Federation show that almost 37 million people in the MENA region have diabetes, and that the disease claimed 363,000 lives in 2014.2 Egypt alone has over 7.5 million people with diabetes.2 In the UAE nearly one-in-five adults and children are living with diabetes,3 with the incidence rate rapidly increasing. T2D – the most common form – is a challenging condition for both patients and healthcare professionals that requires lifelong management encompassing medication and lifestyle interventions, attention to psychological well-being, and on-going patient education and support.

“Type-2 diabetes places a great burden on patients, who have to undergo considerable psychological and behavioural adjustment at diagnosis and throughout the course of the disease,” Dr Nermin Sherieba, Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ain Shams University, Egypt said. “Since diabetes is a self-managed condition, patients must learn how to balance a variety of factors including medication, diet, and physical activity to ensure the best outcome.”

Because effective T2D care requires these behaviours to be maintained over the long term, self-care is a constant challenge and negative attitudes and emotions such as fear, anxiety, guilt and depression are common, Dr Sherieba added. 

Dr Nawal Motawa, Consultant Endocrinologist, Ministry of Health, Al Qasimi Hospital, UAE, welcomed the move to improve patient–physician dialogue and hoped it would lead to better diabetes control for many patients. “Even though effective medication is available, a substantial proportion of patients’ diabetes remains uncontrolled, which can lead to serious health issues such as kidney and cardiovascular problems,” Dr Motawa explained.

“First and foremost Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving patient outcomes,” said Karim El Alaoui, Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim META. “And that’s what IntroDiaTM and Shape the Dialogue is all about – focusing on improving the quality of conversations at critical points along the patient journey,” he said. “Leveraging the survey insights we aim to improve the quality of early patient–healthcare professional conversations and promote successful disease management for people with diabetes here in the Middle East and beyond,” Mr El Alaoui said.

Dr Motawa said, “For many, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is a stressful and worrying time. People may be anxious because they don’t understand what type 2 diabetes is, or how they will cope. The IntroDiaTM results suggest that health professionals can help patients accept and embrace effective diabetes management strategies from the start – just by choosing the right words.”

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 146 affiliates and more than 47,700 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative “Making More Health” and caring for the employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability.

In 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 13.3 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.9 per cent of its net sales.For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

IntroDia^TM is the largest multi-national survey to date investigating early conversations between physicians and people with T2D. It includes insights from 6,753 physicians and 10,139 people with T2D from 26 countries, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The survey focuses on two potentially pivotal time points in T2D management: diagnosis and the ‘add-on’ moment, when additional oral medication is introduced. Data evaluation is ongoing and further insights will be announced in 2016. The IntroDiaTM Survey’s physician insights, coupled with upcoming patient findings, will be used to develop solutions that help shape the early T2D conversations and ultimately improve quality of care.

IntroDia^TM is an initiative of Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company in partnership with the International Diabetes Federation. It has been developed in collaboration with an international, multidisciplinary Advisory Board of T2D experts from the field of primary care, endocrinology, behavioural psychology, nursing and diabetes education.