Article Summary How much time do patients with diabetes spend on self-care? Safford M, Russell L, Suh D-C, Roman S, Pogach L. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2005;18:262-270 Objective: To quantify the amount of time patients reported spending on each individual element of care and to address whether there are patient-level determinants of time spent on self-care activities. Methods: Between July 2000 and September 2001, individuals with diabetes enrolled in 3 managed health plans were asked to complete a survey by computer-assisted telephone interview or in writing. To be eligible, individuals had to have more than 1 outpatient visit or any inpatient stay with an associated International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition (ICD-9) code for diabetes, or received any diabetes medication. Questions were created and pilot tested about time spent daily on 3 diabetes self-care activities. Results: The final study sample included 1482 participants. A minimal number (0.6%) spent no time on self-care. The overall mean minutes per day spent on foot care, exercise, and food preparation was 58. Several patients reported not participating in self-care activities at all: 54.4% did not engage in shopping and cooking; 37.9% did not engage in foot care; and 37.7% did not engage in exercise. Predictors such as the presence of neuropathy or morbid obesity correlated with foot care and food shopping/preparation, respectively. Never or rare self-testers were half as likely as frequent self-testers to engage in foot care or exercise. Self-testing was associated with the largest difference in total time spent. Conclusion: This population spent a substantial amount of time engaged in self-care activities; however, approximately 30% to 50% were neglecting key basics of self-care. These data have important implications for collaborative management and patient-care coordination efforts.