identifying barriers to self-care in patients with type 2 diabetes: a qualitative phenomenological study

Background: diabetes is one of the most significant global health concerns, with its prevalence increasing worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. diabetes significantly impacts healthcare systems due to the acute and chronic complications it causes. self-care plays a crucial role in controlling and mitigating these complications and is an essential requirement for patients with diabetes. however, despite its importance, self-care practices among diabetic patients remain insufficient. objectives: this study aimed to identify self-care barriers among patients with type 2 diabetes. methods: this qualitative phenomenological study recruited twenty-seven patients with type 2 diabetes (aged 35 - 70 years) from the outpatient clinic of the sanandaj diabetes association through a convenience sampling method. qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews conducted in october and november 2024. data analysis was performed using clarke and braun’s (2006) coding method, facilitated by maxqda 2020 software. results: the mean age of the patients was 51.5 (9.61%). the majority of participants were female (n = 16, 59.3%). regarding employment and marital status, most respondents were housekeepers (n = 11, 40.7%) and married (n = 24, 88.9%), respectively. also, the most common educational level was elementary school (n = 8, 29.6%). through the analysis of interview coding, 425 initial codes were extracted, leading to the identification of 18 secondary codes as barriers to self-care. these barriers were ultimately classified into five main categories: economic, educational, social, individual, and psychological. conclusions: this study has highlighted several barriers in self-care management for iranian patients with type 2 diabetes, particularly related to economic, educational, social, individual, and psychological factors. these findings offer valuable insights that can contribute to the improvement of diabetes self-management education programs tailored to this population.