Arkes And Gaissmaier: Article Analysis

The article by Arkes and Gaissmaier (2012) provided insights into the potential for misunderstanding of seemingly clear scientific data, and also suggested alternative ways of disseminating information to promote enhanced understanding. While the article gives me much to ponder and all four of the factors discussed in the article likely apply to some degree in diabetes, the one that resonates with me most with regard to the way patients perceive treatment regimens is the power of the anecdote. Often patients have heard stories of family or community members that have had an amputation or lost their vision shortly after starting on insulin; they believe that the addition of insulin caused the diabetes related complication. Despite, providing education and counseling to help patients understand that the addition of insulin can actually help achieve glycemic targets and thereby decrease the odds of developing complications, many patients struggle to accept or welcome the addition of insulin to their treatment regimen. As Arkes and Gaissmaier (2012) point out, people may have a tendency to gravitate towards making decisions or judgments based on what they personally have heard or read. While my past approach to address such concerns about initiating insulin included providing education regarding the role insulin plays and the physiology of complications, it would appear that my success rate might be improved by further
Rather than explore the probability of an assoication, they may simply accept what they see as fact and thereby develop a sense of belief (pg 4). This is consistent with what I’ve appreciated in the field of diabetes. Whether it is the belief that insulin causes complications or that complications are inevitable, it is relevant for us to consider and appreciate the beliefs and therefore the thought process of our