Development of a Mental Health Model for Supporting Diabetes Patients in Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital - การพัฒนารูปแบบการสร้างเสริมสุขภาวะด้านจิตใจ ในผู้ป่วยเบาหวาน โรงพยาบาลมหาราชนครศรีธรรมราช

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a mental health model for supporting diabetes patients
who were waiting for medical check-up at outpatient department in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Hospital.Participants in the study included type 2 diabetes patients, multidisciplinary health care team
members and volunteer leaders. There were four steps in the model: (1) problem and situational
analysis, (2) model development with specifying roles and responsibility of team members and all
stakeholders, (3) model implementation and and evaluation and (4) final model improvement. The
study tools were comprised of patient’s demographic data questionnaires, patient’s self-perception
questionnaires, patient’s self-satisfied questionnaires and guideline of questions using for interviewing
the feeling of patients, multidisciplinary health care team and volunteer leaders towards the model. The
qualitative data were analyzed by using descriptive statistic and the qualitative data by content analysis
technique. The results of this study revealed that the appropriate model would compose of the following
features: (1) nurse should be a leader of the multidisciplinary health care team, and (2) the use of
dialogues was a best method for communicating and empowering patient’s self-management. In addition,
the optimum activities were based on three patterns: (1) discussing and sharing of experiences in
self care behavior, (2) practicing foot massage and (3) using Buddhist teaching for achieving harmony
of mind. All of these activities were resulted in a high level of patient’s satisfaction (87.04%) due to
comfortable feeling (93.27%), not getting boring from waiting in a long queue (94.15%), having
good spirit (91.43%), and felt relaxing (89.12%). The model had affected the patients in five domains:
(1) having good impression and peace of mind, (2) feeling pleased with meeting friends, (3)
obtaining happiness and good spirit, (4) having relaxation, and (5) obtaining knowledge and experience
in self care. Furthermore, the study highlighted the positive perception of multidisciplinary health
care team towards the model: (1) caring for patients in a holistic way, (2) improving health care
service, and 3) being proud of themselves and their profession. In the same way, for the volunteer
leaders, the study also reported their perceptions towards this model which were: (1) being proud and
pleasant, (2) receiving good lesson for themselves and others, (3) finding true friends and (4) learning
the new things in life.
Key words: diabetes patients, mental health model