Table 1.

Focus group questions

Research questions:

FG Question 1 Introduction

• Do you as a physician have some insight in how your diabetes patients think about their illness and the treatment necessary to them?

FG Question 2 Health beliefs and advice giving

• In your treatment, you give many advices as on diet, walking, smoking cessation etc. Perhaps there is a good intention for it. However, can you tell us what you think your patients do with these advices?

• It might be possible that physicians do not understand enough the health beliefs of their patients when they give their advices. What do you think about this?

FG Question 3 Health beliefs on drug intake

• In addition, when you prescribe your medicines you have some expectations about your patients. What is your experience as to patients fulfill these expectations or not?

• Probably, patients have some alternative expectations. Do you notice that?

• It might be possible that physicians do not understand enough the health beliefs of their patients when they prescribe their medicines. What do you think about this?

FG Question 4 Health beliefs on follow up

• The guideline level on follow up of diabetes patients is not easy at all. Many examinations have to be performed; appointments have to be made to monitor the continuous changing risk profile of the diabetes patient. What do you think the diabetes patient expects from all this?

• It might be possible that physicians do not understand enough the health beliefs of their patients when they plan their follow up. What do you think about this?

FG Question 5 Coping with conflicts

• Sometimes, you certainly may not reach common grounds with your patients. How do you express these conflicts?

• How do you handle them?

• What solutions can you suggest?