Foot care knowledge, attitude and practices of diabetic patients: A survey in Diabetes health care facility

BACKGROUND: Among diabetes complications, diabetic foot disease (DFD) is the most common and the most preventable complication. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of foot care among type two diabetes mellitus (DM) patients attending the Diabetic and Endocrine Center at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Buraydah-Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional facility-based study was conducted randomly among type two diabetic patients; respondents were 260 patients. Participants were interviewed using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the total studied patients, 54.2% were males with median age of 58 years. Majority 56.5% of patients had good knowledge and 56.9% had good practices regarding diabetic foot care. The mean knowledge score was 4.0 (±1.86) out of 6. About 39.2% of participants received advice regarding foot care from their physicians. Only 41.5% of the patients examined their feet daily, 41.9% carefully dried between the toes after washing, and 40.8% were walking barefooted at home. About 68.5% of the participants had a history of diabetic foot complications. A significant statistical association was found between the good knowledge and patients’ age, educational level, family monthly income, duration of diabetic illness and having prior knowledge regarding foot care (P-value <0.05). While, good practice of the participants towards the diabetic foot care was found to be statistically associated with the family monthly income and the prior knowledge regarding diabetic foot care (P-value <0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that more than half of the participants had good knowledge and practices of diabetic foot care. However, the role of physicians and medical staff in annual foot examination and health education is crucial. An awareness program implementation for diabetic foot care is highly needed.