Effect of Topical Insulin Versus Normal Saline Dressing on Diabetic Wound Healing: An Experimental Comparative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcer is one of the most significant and devastating complications and a major cause of hospitalization among patients with diabetes. It leads to severe economic and social burdens. The management of Diabetic foot ulcers remains a major therapeutic challenge. Hence, the present study was conducted to compare the topical insulin and normal saline dressing on wound healing among patients with a diabetic foot ulcers. Methods: An experimental research design was adopted to conduct the study with 60 samples matched with the inclusion criteria in Saveetha Medical College and Hospital. Samples were allocated into experimental group I (n=30) and experimental group II (n=30) by simple random sampling. The baseline outcomes were measured at the beginning of the study. Pre-assessment was done using the Bates-Jensen wound assessment tool in experimental I & II. Experimental group I received topical insulin dressing, and experimental group II received normal saline dressing daily for 14 days. Post-assessment was done on the seventh and fourteenth days using the same tool for both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: A significant improvement in the level of wound healing was observed at the level of p< 0.001 within and between a group of pretest, post-test I, and Post-test II by repeated measures ANOVA. The overall comparison of wound healing between experimental groups I & II revealed that the calculated F value of F=12.679 shows a statistically (p