Knowledge levels and attitudes of diabetic patients about their disease

Objective: Diabetes is a serious health problem worldwide that leads to high morbidity and mortality rates. The current study was conducted to determine the knowledge levels and attitudes of diabetic patients about their disease. Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study comprised type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients who presented to the outpatient internal disease polyclinic of a public hospital. No sampling was done, and 335 diabetic patients who volunteered to participate and were able to communicate were included. Data were gathered using a personal information form that contained questions on the descriptive characteristics of the patients and disease features, using the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS), and using the face-to-face interview technique. To analyze data, percentages and arithmetic means were calculated and Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. Results: When the knowledge levels of the patients about the disease were investigated, 70.4% of the patients did not know the organ that caused the disease and 37% did not know how often they should wash and control their foot. The mean DAS score of the patients was 3.58 +/- 0.30, and the patients developed a positive attitude about their disease. Further, there were significant differences between regular medicine use and the need for special training to provide diabetes care, blood glucose control and complications, patient autonomy, team care, and the DAS total score. Conclusion: The knowledge levels of the patients about the disease were not satisfactory, but the patients developed a positive attitude about the disease.