Assessment of Self Reported Knowledge, Practice, and Barriers of Diabetic Foot Self-Care Among Patients Attending Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Amhara Regional State, North West Ethiopia
Creators: name: Seid, Awole
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2014

description: Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcers and the resulting lower extremity amputations are a common, complex, costly, and disabling complication of diabetes. An estimated 15% of patients with diabetes will develop a lower extremity ulcer during the course of their disease. The but drying of feet and between toes were poorly practiced. Married individuals have better knowledge of foot care but farmers had poor foot care practices. Participants residing in urban areas and on long duration of diabetic therapies had better knowledge of foot care. Recommendation: Policy makers should initiate well organized interventional foot care education program throughout the regional state. The hospital administration should establish a specialized DM clinic in which foot care education is integrated as part follow up service. Key words; Diabetic foot ulcer, knowledge, practice, foot care risk of diabetic foot complications can be reduced by 49-85% through proper preventative measures, patient education and foot self-care. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, practice, and barriers of diabetic foot self-care among patients attending Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital. Method: Institution based descriptive cross sectional study was employed from March to April, 2014 using pre-tested, interviewer administered questionnaire. A total of 313 patients whose age was 18 year and above, were recruited from inpatient and outpatient department using convenient sampling technique. Furthermore, descriptive statistics, chi square, binary and multi-variate logistic regression analyses were employed to assess the predicators of knowledge and practice of foot self-care among patients with diabetes. Result: Majority of respondents were males (64.9%). The mean age was 39.1±16.1years and majority (28.1%) lies between 18 and 25 years. The mean knowledge score was 7.5±2.02 of which 56.2% had good knowledge, 23.6% had satisfactory and 20.1% had poor knowledge. Two hundred fifty (79.9%) were unaware of smoking increases risk of foot ulcer; 74.1% were unaware to the level of temperature of water used to wash feet. The mean practice score was 25.2 ±6.466 of which 54.6% had good and 45.4% had poor foot care practice. Moreover, 36.1% inspect their feet once per week or less; 38.7% never checked their shoe before putting on; 45.7% never checked their shoes when taking off; more than 90% washed their feet at least once a day. Of the total participants 59.1% never dry their feet; 69.3% never dry between toes; only 15.3% and 9.6% walk indoor and outside the house respectively and 75.7% never apply dry dressing on blisters, cut, or burn before. Age, educational status, occupational status, place of resident and duration of diabetic therapy were significantly associated with knowledge and practice of diabetic foot self-care. Conclusion: Generally, only about half of the study participants had good knowledge and practice of diabetic foot care. Majority of the respondents had good practice in washing of feet