KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF INSULIN SELF-ADMINISTRATION TECHNIQUES AMONG DIABETIC PATIENTS

Awayz A¹, Varghese JO², Padmanabha PH³, Mudigubba MK⁴, Selvan C⁵

¹Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, KA, India, ²Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Mangalore, KA, India, ³Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Mysore, KA, India, ⁴Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, KA, India ⁵Ramaiah Hospitals, Bangalore, India

OBJECTIVES:

The study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of insulin administration techniques among diabetic patients.

METHODS:

A questionnaire-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 361 self-injecting diabetic patients on insulin therapy in a tertiary care hospital. Patients presenting as out-patients in the Department of Endocrinology were included for the study. A Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) Questionnaire on insulin and its administration was prepared and validated to meet the objective. This questionnaire was administered through the investigators interviewing the subjects. The items of the questionnaire were then scored.

RESULTS:

A total of 361 patients were interviewed, of which 60.9% were males and 61.5% of whom had received a formal education. The mean knowledge score was 3.02 ± 2.04, mean attitude score was 7.12 ± 4.28 and the mean practice score was 3.56 ± 2.64. On categorising the scores, 43.5% were found to have good knowledge, while 56.5% were found to have average level of knowledge. Favourable and satisfactory attitude was found in 80.9% and 19.1% of the participants, respectively. The level of practice was found to be good in 54% and satisfactory in 46% of subjects.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study aids in assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice levels of the subjects in this setting, this would help in identifying the gaps in knowledge and the misconceptions and malpractices associated with insulin and its administration, that may be addressed by healthcare professionals.