Knowledge, attitude, and practice on insulin administration among diabetic patients and their caregivers – Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Insulin therapy is the cornerstone treatment of diabetic patients. Most diabetic patients cannot self-administrate insulin due to various reasons to depend on caregivers. Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on insulin administration among diabetic patients and their caregivers. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted for seven months. All diabetic patients age above 18 years who were on insulin therapy for more than six months were included in the study. Patient medical records were used to collect demographic information such as age, gender, educational status, occupation, socioeconomic class, HbA1c, and insulin duration. The validated KAP questionnaire was used for the assessment of KAP among patients or caregivers. Results: A total of 255 patients were included, out of which 163 (63.92%) were male and 92 (36.07%) were female. The mean KAP score was 65.05 ± 14. There is no significant correlation between the HbA1c levels with KAP scores among diabetic patients. There is a significant link between the knowledge, attitude, and Overall KAP patients with education qualification (p < 0.05), occupation (p < 0.05), economic class of the patients (p < 0.05), and duration of insulin treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The patients average age was 55.74 years. The results showed that the mean KAP score was 65.05, which is less and most of the patients had not controlled their glycemic levels. Effective education regarding insulin administration and glycemic control improves the KAP among patients or caregivers.

Keywords

• Diabetes
• Insulin
• Knowledge
• Attitude
• Practice