Knowledge of diabetes among diabetic patients in government hospitals of Delhi

Abstract

Background: Poor patient knowledge of recommended diabetic self-care practices is a major barrier toward attainment of good glycemic control and prevention of diabetic complications. Materials and Methods: We assessed the knowledge of diabetes self-care practices through a short 7-item pretested questionnaire among diabetes mellitus patients attending special clinics in three government hospitals. Results: The average diabetes knowledge score attained by the patients was 3.79 ± 1.77 (maximum score = 7). Lifetime treatment requirement for diabetes mellitus, plasma glucose levels for good glycemic control, and symptoms of hypoglycemia were correctly reported by 89%, 74%, and 38.5% of the patients, respectively. Low educational status and female gender were significantly associated with poor knowledge of diabetes (P < 0.05). Low level of knowledge of diabetes was a predictor of poor glycemic control but not medication adherence. Conclusion: Knowledge of diabetes in patients attending government hospitals in India is low. Future studies should explore low-cost health education interventions feasible in the Indian health-care context for improving patient knowledge of diabetes.

Keywords

• Diabetes
• government hospitals
• knowledge