Abstract
BackgroundDiabetic foot complications result in substantial morbidity and mortality, fortunately they can be prevented. Our study measured the frequency of patient-reported diabetes-related foot problems and foot self-care practices among diabetic patients attending Abdallah Khalil Diabetes Center, Khartoum state, Sudan. MethodologyThis was a descriptive cross-sectional health facility-based study conducted at Abdallah Khalil Diabetes Center in Omdurman, Khartoum in the period from January to March, 2021. A convenience sample of 194 (n=250) Sudanese diabetic patients, aged 20 and above were in enrolled in this study. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, patient-reported foot problems and foot self-care practices, data was analyzed using SPSS 23, chi-square and multi-variate logistic regression tests were used to measure associations and predictive factors among different variables. Results194 patients were included in this study (response rate: 77.6%), mean diabetes duration 10.20±8.07 years, 60.3% were female, 47.4% were unemployed and 10.8% were retired, illiterate participants represented (28.9%). 80.4% reported having at least one or more sensory peripheral neuropathy symptoms, 36.6% reported one or more peripheral vascular disease symptoms in the previous month, and 29.4% had a history of foot ulceration. Reported foot self-care practices were overall suboptimal; 55.2 average scores (25-36), only 4.1% attained good scores (37-48). 24.7$ and 27.8% never or rarely examine the bottom of their feet each day. On multivariate logistic regression HbA1c was found to be predictive of foot ulceration (p value 0.038), while duration and peripheral vascular disease were found to be predictive of amputations. (p value 0.001 and 0.021, respectively). ConclusionDiabetes related foot complications were frequently reported by our study participants, yet adoption of preventive foot self-care practices was of average levels, making it something very vital and urgent to carry out routine foot care educational programs and sessions. Future research for assessing the effectiveness of the preventive programs is going to be needed. Key words: Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetic Foot, Self-Care, Ulcer, Amputation
Published Version
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