The Awareness and Practices of Foot Care in Adult Diabetic Patients Attending University Hospital

Aim: To determine the awareness and practices of foot care in adult diabetic patients attending Dow university hospital OJHA Campus Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: This is an observational study was conducted at National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology and department of medicine Dow University Hospital, Ojha Campus, Karachi, from October 2015 to December 2015. All demographic data was collected from every diabetic patient like age (years), gender, education level and details of disease and treatment, like age at first diagnosis of diabetes, duration of DM in years, medication and glycaemic control among the study participants. The awareness of diabetic foot care in diabetic patients was assessed by questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 19. Results: Among 384 patients, 186 (48.4%) were males while 198 were females (51.6%). Between ages 22-40 were 77 patients, 41 to 60 were 245 patients and 61 to 80 were 62 patients. Mean age of individuals were 50.56+10.60. A total of 78.64% (n = 302) of patients had Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, 14.58% (n = 58) had Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus while 6.77% (n = 26) had gestational diabetes mellitus. 35.7% (n = 210) had coexisting hypertension. 126 had history of foot ulcers while 137 had history of amputation. Questions were asked regarding treatment options for diabetes and their awareness and habits about foot care. Conclusion: Regular assessment and emphasis on foot care could reduce the incidence of diabetes related foot problems bringing an era of reduced health care burden of diabetes related issues.