Why Plain Language Summaries in Diabetes Are Important

Future Science Group explains why patient education and communication are paramount for individuals who have diabetes - and how plain language summaries fill this need.

In 2014, approximately 422 million people around the world had diabetes, a metabolic disorder that can be life-threatening if not properly controlled and treated. By 2025, we can expect this figure to rise to 700 million, largely because of the growing prevalence of Type 2 diabetes.

Numerous studies have looked at  the ways that diabetes manifests and can be treated,  helping to manage the increasing epidemic of diabetes in the UK. Aside from providing findings that are key to the development of diabetes treatment and care, this research informs the work that organisations carry out on a global scale to raise awareness of diabetes and how to fight the disease. Diabetes education is essential for the effective management of the condition, and there is a clear need for accessible resources for patients at all levels.

Patients who have diabetes, their advocates and caregivers, clinicians, healthcare policy experts, researchers, journalists, and the general public access the growing base of diabetes education through medical journals and other sources. But many journals publish articles written only for specialist audiences, not for lay audiences.

This is being overcome by Future Science Group, which publishes plain language summaries (often shortened to PLS) in its scientific journals. These articles are simple recaps of complicated publications that explain often difficult to understand concepts in everyday language. As the need for clear information on diabetes risks, complications, and treatments grows, many of these PLS will examine the latest in diabetes-related studies.

What Are Plain Language Summaries?

PLS are clear, concise summaries of technical publications that make it easier for lay audiences to understand the latest developments in treatments and therapies. The summaries improve communication between patients and caregivers and provide the resources that patients need to empower themselves with knowledge and understanding.

Although PLS are simpler versions of technical publications, users don't need to read both the original publication and the PLS version to get a full understanding of the topic in hand. Instead, the summaries are standalone publications that include all the information covered in the original publication.

PLS are easier to understand than the original publications because the authors (usually clinicians, researchers, patients, and/or patient advocates) write the summaries using non-technical language, explaining all jargon and breaking down complicated information. Authors also display data using clear infographics and balance the written content with a range of media inclusions to make scientific concepts easier to understand.

Why Are Plain Language Summaries on Diabetes Important?

It is vital that patients who have diabetes understand the nature of the disease, the treatment options available to them, and the complications that may arise from the disease. These complications may include cancer, coeliac disease, foot ulcers (which may result in the need for foot or lower limb amputations), acute myocardial infarction, blindness, stroke, renal failure, microvascular and macrovascular complications, and hypoglycaemia. A good understanding of how to control and treat diabetes can reduce the risk of these complications, improve patients' quality of life, and reduce mortality rates in people who have diabetes.

Aside from empowering patients, diabetes-related PLS contribute to patient education, which can reduce the cost of diabetes care and treatment. This is essential in a world where the cost of treating diabetes stands at approximately £1 million per hour on the NHS. Diabetes care takes up approximately one-tenth of the NHS' annual budget, exceeding £9 billion.[CM2]  Fortunately, diabetes education and the offering of tools like PLS can reduce this figure by enabling better patient self-management. To put this into perspective, one study concluded that 59% of patients who received diabetes education practised self-management, unlike those who didn't receive this education.

Furthermore, PLS open the doors to patient participation and involvement in research and publications. For example, Future Science Group encourages patients to join author teams to write PLS and become members of its journals' peer-review panels for these publications. This way, patients can share their unique 'voice' and insights into a condition, treatment, or therapy, which can be invaluable for other patients.

Who Needs Plain Language Summaries in Diabetes?

All patients who have diabetes should have access to patient-centred tools that show them how to manage their condition. Good-quality tools can improve patients' quality of life, self-care, disease knowledge, and measures of metabolic control. As a result, world-leading organisations like the International Diabetes Federation and the American Diabetic Association advocate for patient-centred communication in the management of diabetes[CM4] .

However, many patients don't receive the education and services that they need, often because of communication failures between service providers and users. In fact, communication failures are one of the most common patient complaints, and these often contribute to patient harm. A lack of education and communication can be challenging for all patients, especially for those who have a lower health literacy and therefore often need additional support to manage their diseases.

Further research suggests that diabetes education is also particularly important for older patients. In 2010, Diabetes UK emphasised that most patients who have type 2 diabetes in the UK are over 60, and that their diabetes knowledge tends to be poorer than younger patients'. Diabetes UK also noted that residents in 6 out of 10 care homes don't receive special diabetes education.[CM5] 

Therefore, PLS are essential to the growing base of diabetes education: the summaries are accessible to readers of all literacy abilities and ages and are key to improving knowledge share amongst patients.

How Do Authors Write Plain Language Summaries?

Future Science Group reminds PLS authors that language can intentionally or unintentionally express biases. While some language that refers to diabetes can express negative attitudes and contribute to an already stressful experience of managing the disease, non-biased language can empower patients and contribute to positive health outcomes. When PLS authors use person-first, unbiased language, they can convey diabetes-related research in simple terms, share knowledge, and promote patient well-being.

Which Studies Have Investigated Diabetes?

Researchers have carried out countless diabetes-related studies around the world. Here are a few of the studies that have paved the way for diabetes treatment and care. PLS of studies like these can make the findings accessible to all readers, patients or otherwise.

• A 2001 study found that 92% of individuals who had diabetes in England had type 2 diabetes (the other 8% had type 1 diabetes). The research also revealed that individuals from ethnic minority groups were more likely to have diabetes than white people. (This is because ethnic minority groups tend to have higher levels of glycated haemoglobin and C-reactive proteins in their blood, higher triglyceride levels, and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.) The research also revealed that the risk of diabetes increases with age, rising from a prevalence of 0.3% in those aged under 30 to a prevalence of 14% in those aged over 60. Later research from Diabetes UK reinforced these findings, and the organisation published similar prevalence rates in 2010.
• The 20-year UK Prospective Diabetes Study (2008-2010), which received over £2 million in funding from Diabetes UK, examined 5,000 patients who have diabetes and concluded that intensive blood glucose level control and adopting effective treatment methods can reduce the risk of early renal damage by a third and the risk of diabetic retinopathy by a quarter. The study also found that intensive management and the control of blood pressure in hypertensive patients can reduce vision loss and cardiovascular disease by more than a third and the risk of death caused by long-term complications by a third.
• A systematic review that estimated the age- and sex-specific diabetes prevalence around the world between 2010 and 2030 drew on studies from 91 countries. The review concluded that the prevalence of worldwide diabetes could increase to 7.8% by 2030, affecting approximately 440 million adults. The review also noted that we could see a 70% increase in the prevalence of diabetes in adults in developing countries and a 21% increase in developed countries.[CM6]

How Can We Improve Diabetes Awareness Through Plain Language Summaries?

Organisations and publishers like Future Science Group are working to improve awareness of the risks, complications, and treatments associated with diabetes. Such efforts aim to overcome barriers to diabetes education, like cost, distance, and a shortage of educators or appropriate patient services. This way, patients can have better access to the education and communication they need to manage their diabetes.

About Future Science Group

Future Science Group publishes breakthrough scientific, medical, and biotechnical research in its 34 peer-reviewed, open-access journals. The Group started its journey as a small, independent publisher in 2001 and has since grown into a global name in publishing. Today, the Group receives over 5 million article downloads every year and has published more than 50,000 articles.

Authors from a range of disciplines submit PLS to Future Science Group's journals, where approximately 1,000 editorial board members review and offer advice on the submissions. The Group's journals include established names like BioTechniques, Nanomedicine, Regenerative Medicine, and Future Oncology. Future Science Group is also the brain behind several creative services, events, publishing solutions and digital hubs like Bioanalysis Zone and RegMedNet. Scientific communities join these hubs to collaborate and innovate, bringing the latest developments in a host of scientific and medical disciplines to the forefront of publishing.