July 2024
Understanding general practitioners’ perceptions of, and facilitators and barriers to, the management of metabolic syndrome in rural areas of Western Australia
Aniruddha Sheth,1 Sandra Thompson,2 Nahal Mavaddat3
1University of Western Australia, Perth, WA
2Western Australian Centre of Rural Health (WACRH), University of Western Australia, Geraldton, WA
3Discipline of General Practice, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA
Background and objectives
Metabolic syndrome (MetSy) is increasingly prevalent in primary care, associated with multiple complications and is challenging to manage in rural settings. Primary care management of MetSy includes lifestyle interventions, which require overcoming barriers. General practitioner (GP) experiences of managing MetSy have not been sufficiently examined.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 rural Western Australian GPs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and de-identified. A reflexive thematic analysis using NVivo software was performed.
Results
Most GPs interviewed reported a poor pathophysiological understanding and framework for managing MetSy, focusing on management of individual component conditions. Lifestyle intervention success was frequently dependent on individual patient’s self-autonomy, but compounded by poor access to resources, with GPs proposing streamlined multidisciplinary services as a potential solution.
Discussion
This study has contributed knowledge about factors impacting delivery of care for MetSy rurally. GP knowledge, resourcing and clinical utility of holistic chronic disease approaches that recognise MetSy have potential for future research.