KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE RELATED TO DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN A PUBLIC HOSPITAL OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) affects people all over the world. It is a metabolic condition marked by persistently elevated blood sugar levels brought on by either insulin hormone resistance or shortage. Diabetes mellitus complications result in increased death, disease rates, and disability and represent a serious global health issue that endangers the health system all over the world and causes a critical economic impact for all states, especially epidemic regions. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of diabetic foot problems among healthcare providers in DHQ Hospital Bhakkar, Punjab, Pakistan. A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted in 2023 on all categories of healthcare providers using a valid, structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using MS Excel and SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26. One hundred and ten (110) healthcare providers participated in this study. And only 41.3% of participants had good knowledge regarding diabetes mellitus. However, our findings also revealed that 85.3% of the participants had good knowledge and a favorable attitude towards diabetes mellitus and diabetic foot care. Nevertheless, although the participants had good knowledge regarding foot care, they had poor practice, with 51.9% scoring poorly on the assessment questionnaire. Our study shows that most participants had good knowledge and attitudes but poor practices. This highlights the need for more efforts by healthcare providers to enhance the population's education about diabetes and its complications.