Effect of Patient Understanding of Diabetes Self-Care on Glycemic ControlA Hospital Based Cross Sectional Analytical Study

Abstract

Objective: To study the effect of patient understanding of diabetes self-care on glycemic control.

Study Design: Hospital-based cross-sectional analytical study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan to Jul 2019.

Methodology: A standardized questionnaire comprising nine questions to gauge understanding of diabetes self-care was applied to 216 patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) at Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi. Linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the effect of diabetes-related self-care understanding on glycemic control.

Results: 138 patients were males (64%) and 78 females (36%) with a mean age of 40 ± 8 years (range: 18-68 years). The mean duration of having diabetes mellitus was 12 ± 2 years. Patients with a high score on the self-care understanding questionnaire had better average glycemic control than those with lower scores.

Conclusion: Patients' understanding of self-care for diabetes has a significant impact on their glycemic control. This asks physicians to educate patients about their role in disease management for better clinical outcomes.