Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Sep 2023)

Saudi Arabian Physical Therapists’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Clinical Practice in Diabetes Prevention and Management

  • Alhowimel AS,
  • Alshahrani AA,
  • Abulaban AA,
  • Althobeit AM,
  • Alenazi AM,
  • Alshehri MM,
  • Alqahtani BA,
  • Alodaibi F

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 2967 – 2977

Abstract

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Ahmed S Alhowimel,1 Abdullah A Alshahrani,1 Aseel A Abulaban,1 Areej M Althobeit,1 Aqeel M Alenazi,1 Mohammed M Alshehri,2 Bader A Alqahtani,1 Faris Alodaibi3 1Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia; 2Physical Therapy Department, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Rehabilitation Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ahmed S Alhowimel, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, AlKharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966115886354, Email [email protected]: This study explores physical therapists’ current knowledge, attitudes, and practice toward the management and prevention of diabetes in Saudi Arabia.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed among physical therapists in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included several sections concerning their knowledge, attitude, and current practice toward diabetic management. A total of 301 physical therapists (32% female) participated in our study.Results: The results suggest that only half of the participants agreed that diabetes management and prevention were within physical therapy’s scope of service. However, approximately 30% of the participants did not regularly check or ask about the glucose levels of their patients with diabetes. Only 55% of the participants correctly answered the knowledge test questions.Conclusion: This study found that physical therapists in Saudi Arabia have a modest level of diabetes knowledge. The findings indicate that physical therapy educational programs should address diabetes management. Furthermore, continued education is required for current practicing physical therapists in Saudi Arabia.Keywords: diabetes, knowledge, practice, physical therapy

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