Abstract

Methods for assessing health-related quality of life for people with diabetes have mostly been developed by health professionals for patients. The aim of this study was to develop an assessment tool that measures the impact of type I diabetes on lifestyle from the perspective of the individual. The impact of type I diabetes was identified from interviews with patients, which were analysed and categorised into emerging themes. The Bournemouth Impact of Diabetes Scale (BIDS) was developed from the emerging themes, piloted, and then tested for reliability and validity on 237 patients with type I diabetes. The usefulness of BIDS was determined by examining the influence of insulin formulation (an insulin analogue or regular soluble insulin) on the impact of the condition on patients with type I diabetes.