Effect of Self-Management Support Program on Improving Diabetic Foot Care Behaviors

Background: Diabetic Foot Care Behaviors (DFCB) are the essential constituents of diabetic foot difficulties avoidance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of self-management maintenance programs on refining diabetic foot care behaviors in patients with diabetes mellitus at Zagazig University Hospital. A quasi experimental study design was used in this research. The purposive sample included 70 patients with a diabetic foot. The patients were allocated randomly to either the control (n = 35) or the study (n = 35) group using the matched criteria of the foot ulcer history and foot problems. Two tools were used for the collection of data, the patient assessment Questionnaire and the Diabetic Foot Care Behaviors Questionnaire. Results: The study findings revealed that sixty (60.0%) of the patients in the observed and control groups were males and more than 40 years of age with Mean +/- SD (52.7+8.8 and 53.5 +/- 7.8 respectively), there was a statistically significant relationship between the patients' knowledge and practice, where more than three quarters (89.6%) of the patients had unsatisfactory knowledge and inadequate practice. All of the patients in the study group gained the adequate practice related to the foot-care after the intervention. While more than half of the patients (60.0%) in the control group who had no intervention, had the inadequate practice related to the foot-care with p value (<0.001*). Conclusion: The self-management support program showed improvements in patients' knowledge which reflected the improvements in their practice and diabetic foot care behaviors in the post phase. Also, there was a positive correlation between the foot care score and the knowledge score as well as the practice score. It was recommended that, the doctors in the diabetic clinics should be encouraged to educate their patients, motivate them to do the monthly diabetic clinic visiting, and increase their awareness on the diabetic foot through using media, and continue follow up for the patients who are suffering from the diabetic foot, and increase the distribution of free handbooks that are specific for the diabetes in the public places in order to raise the patients' awareness and prevent the diabetic foot and its complications. Counseling clinics and trained nursing team should be accessible at the diabetic foot outpatient clinics and diabetic clinics.