The qualification of physicians is a key factor in controlling type 1 diabetes (T1D) since they provide crucial information to their patients about self-management. To investigate whether Chinese physicians' medical strategies influence the control of T1D in their patients, we designed a questionnaire to survey Chinese physicians, which covered their diagnosis and patient-management strategies for T1D. A total of 442 completed questionnaires were received from 35 public hospitals in 12 cities. The results showed Chinese physicians mainly diagnosed T1D based on the clinical features and islet dysfunction. One-third of physicians in this study still prescribed non-basal-bolus insulin regimens to their T1D patients. More than 80% of the doctors prescribed alpha-glucosidase inhibitors as adjunctive therapy, in addition to insulin therapy. Moreover, most of the physicians in China did not pay attention to identify coexistent autoimmune diseases. T1D patients in China were not armed with self-management knowledge and skills, which should be provided by their doctors. One of the circumstances leading to insufficient disease control in Chinese T1D patients is the ineffective therapeutic strategy prescribed by their physicians. We need to promote knowledge of efficient strategies among physicians in China to achieve better disease control in Chinese T1D patients in the future.
Keywords: diagnosis and therapeutic strategy; patient-management; questionnaire-based survey; type 1 diabetes.