Abstract
The prevalence of diabetes in India has grown over the past decade. Diabetic patients develop complications due to poor awareness regarding the disease and inadequate glycemic control. Patient education is the most effective way to lessen the complications of diabetes and its management. A total of 207 (85 males and 122 females) type 2 diabetes mellitus patients were enrolled and randomized into test and control groups. Patients in the test group received counseling at each visit and information leaflets from the pharmacist; the control group patients received counseling and information leaflets only at the end of the study. A validated knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire was administered to both test and control group patients at baseline and at final follow-up to assess awareness regarding disease management. Glucose and lipid levels were also evaluated at baseline and final follow-up in both the groups. At the end of the study, the KAP score of test group patients improved significantly (P<0.0001), whereas no significant changes were observed in control group patients. The postprandial blood glucose (PPBG) levels decreased significantly in the test group. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGL), and low density lipoprotein levels (LDL) also showed a decrease in the test group. Thus, our study reveals that pharmacist counseling might be an important element in diabetes management programs.
Highlights
This study aims to assess the baseline levels of knowledge, attitude, and practices of diabetic patients visiting two multispecialty hospitals and one private diabetic clinic regarding disease management
There were a total of 25 questions, with 18 questions related to knowledge about diabetes, 4 questions to assess the attitude of the patient towards the disease, and 3 questions regarding practices
The observations of our study reveal a shift in the attitude of patients towards the pharmacist as a diabetic counselor
Summary
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic. Journal of Young Pharmacists Vol 3 / No 1 disorders characterized by hyperglycemia. It is associated with abnormalities in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, and results in chronic complications, including microvascular, macrovascular, and neuropathic disorders.[1] The prevalence of DM has risen dramatically over the past two decades. It is estimated that the prevalence of diabetes in adults worldwide will rise to 5.5% in 2025 (as compared to 4% in year 1995), with India contributing the major part.[2]. There is increasing amount of evidence that patient education is the most effective way to lessen the complications of diabetes and its management.[4]
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