Healthcare Practitioners' Perspective of Prevailing Awareness on Diabetes Complications: A Questionnaire-Based Pan-India Study.

Abstract

The increasing prevalence rate of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the associated long-term complications warrant a need to improve awareness of DM-related complications in the Indian population. Our questionnaire-based pan-India study (April 2021-March 2022) aims to capture the observations of healthcare practitioners (HCPs) on the prevailing level of knowledge and awareness regarding diabetes among their patients. We refer to this as the 90:90:90 program. It aims to achieve 90% awareness, 90% screening and detection of diabetes and prediabetes, and 90% achievement of effective treatment and control. A structured questionnaire was circulated to 1800 HCPs using Google Forms (Google,Mountain View, CA) and Zoom poll questions (Zoom Video Communications, Inc.,San Jose, CA) during 125 symposiums. About half (48.6%) of the HCPs observe that less than 40% of their patients are aware of the risk factors of diabetes, and less than 60% of the patients were aware of its cardiovascular complications. About 92-95% of the HCPs recommend screening for diabetes in adults over 30 years of age and suggest the inclusion of a blood glucose estimate as a fifth vital to be tested during doctor visits. Less than 40% of patients fail to achieve the treatment goal, possibly due to lack of adherence, access to medicines, and financial constraints. Therefore, spreading awareness of DM complications and early screening for DM among adults (>30 years) could help achieve better management and treatment outcomes.