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. 2022 Jul;16(4):988-994.
doi: 10.1177/1932296821995800. Epub 2021 Mar 3.

An Intuitive Risk Communication Tool to Enhance Patient-Provider Partnership in Diabetes Consultation

Thomas Rouyard  1   2 , José Leal  1 , Dario Salvi  3   4 , Richard Baskerville  5 , Carmelo Velardo  3 , Alastair Gray  1
Affiliations

An Intuitive Risk Communication Tool to Enhance Patient-Provider Partnership in Diabetes Consultation

Thomas Rouyard et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Introduction: This technology report introduces an innovative risk communication tool developed to support providers in communicating diabetes-related risks more intuitively to people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: The development process involved three main steps: (1) selecting the content and format of the risk message; (2) developing a digital interface; and (3) assessing the usability and usefulness of the tool with clinicians through validated questionnaires.

Results: The tool calculates personalized risk information based on a validated simulation model (United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Outcomes Model 2) and delivers it using more intuitive risk formats, such as "effective heart age" to convey cardiovascular risks. Clinicians reported high scores for the usability and usefulness of the tool, making its adoption in routine care promising.

Conclusions: Despite increased use of risk calculators in clinical care, this is the first time that such a tool has been developed in the diabetes area. Further studies are needed to confirm the benefits of using this tool on behavioral and health outcomes in T2DM populations.

Keywords: primary care; risk communication; risk perceptions; shared decision making; type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: the working title of intellectual property (IP) associated with the technology presented in this report falls within a sharing agreement between the authors and Oxford University Innovation Ltd. Oxford University Innovation Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Oxford in charge of managing the University’s IP portfolio.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Data-entry page.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Heart age page.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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