Effect of an interventional program on diabetic patients’ awareness regarding diabetic retinopathy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Family medicine department, faculty of medicine, zagazig university, zagazig, Egypt

2 Department of community, environmental and occupational medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is the commonest micro-vascular complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in adults of working age mainly. Follow up is crucial to the effective management of diabetic retinopathy.
Objectives: To Measure the percent of change in Knowledge, attitude and practice about diabetic retinopathy after the interventional program and its frequency in Diabetic patients.
Methods: An interventional study was conducted on 70 diabetic patients. The study was applied in the diabetes clinic at Zagazig University hospital. The studied patients were above 18 years of age and both types of diabetes. Patients were interviewed using Fahmy’s questionnaire to assess the socio-demographic characters and a pre-designed questionnaire for knowledge, attitude, and practice evaluation.
Results: The satisfactory knowledge of retinopathy constituted only 8.6% while positive attitude towards retinopathy was found in 35.7 % and only 3 out of 70 patients (4.3%) were had a good practice of diabetic retinopathy in the pre-intervention phase. The score of knowledge about Diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy significantly increased by 116.58 % after health education also there was a significant increase in a positive attitude and good practice after intervention by 45.5% and 230.7% respectively. Financial problem was a common barrier to compliance with periodic eye checkups.
Conclusion: Health education still has the upper hand in spreading awareness and improving the patient’s self-care in the form of a positive attitude and good practice regarding his disease.

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