Survey on diabetologists’ interest in prescribing Physical Exercise in clinical practice [Sondaggio sull’interesse dei diabetologi verso la prescrizione di Esercizio Fisico nella pratica clinica]

INTRODUCTION Scientific and clinical evidence emphasizes the importance of the practice of physical exercise (PE) in the prevention and treatment of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. The same evidence emphasizes the importance of identifying and eliminating barriers to patients’ behaviour change. The lack of prescription of PE by the multidisciplinary diabetes team is one of the most important, among such barriers. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the presence of barriers related to the knowledge of the importance of PE and its prescription, as well as to the knowledge of the area of Sports Sciences, by medical specialists. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between June and July 2023, the AMDSID inter-association study group “Diabetes and physical activity” promoted a web-based survey, sent to AMD and SID members via institutional newsletters. RESULTS Of the 415 responding doctors, the majority (i.e. 66%) were working in a diabetology service, 76.4% of them were physically active, 99.5% considered PE important in the treatment path of the diabetic patient and 96.9% of respondents believed that technical support for the self-management of PE could be helpful in the therapeutic education phase. However, 59.8% of respondents declared that they did not have sufficient knowledge concerning PE, 94.9% would be willing to participate in training implementation seminars for PE prescription, and 78.3% declared that they were not aware of the existence and the role of the specialized kinesiologist. CONCLUSIONS The results underline the importance and the necessity of encouraging training of healthcare providers in the field of PE and promoting interprofessional collaboration with kinesiologists.