Effect of a diabetes counseling programme on knowledge, attitude and practice among diabetic patients in Erode district of South India

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.