Foot self-care practices among diabetic patients attending a teaching hospital in Tamil Nadu, India

Introduction: Diabetes is a common non-communicable disease in the world. Diabetic foot ulcer is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. Awareness and practice of foot self-care play a major role in the prevention of complications due to diabetic neuropathy. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Selvam Paramasivam, Govindarajan Ramalingam, A R Parveen Gani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2023-01-01
Series:Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2023;volume=12;issue=9;spage=2036;epage=2041;aulast=Paramasivam
Description
Summary:Introduction: Diabetes is a common non-communicable disease in the world. Diabetic foot ulcer is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. Awareness and practice of foot self-care play a major role in the prevention of complications due to diabetic neuropathy. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among diabetic patients from Sep 2022 to Feb 2023. A semi-structured questionnaire containing four parts including socio-demographic including clinical details, questions related to knowledge and practice of foot self-care, and clinical examination was used. Ten grams monofilament and 128 Hz tuning fork were used to assess the sensation of the foot. Results: A total of 211 patients were included. The average age was found to be 58.4 ± 10.0 years and the majority were females (64.0%). The mean percentage score of knowledge on diabetes and foot self-care was found to be 59.6 ± 27.5 and 55.1 ± 11.9, respectively. Participants with low knowledge scores and those who do not engage in regular physical activity had significant poor foot care practices. The majority (54.5%) of the participants had at least one of the clinical problems related to diabetic foot. The most common problem was found to be heel fissures (29.4%), followed by deformed nails (15.2%), callus (5.2%), toe web infection (3.3%), and ulcer (2.8%). Monofilament test and vibration was not detectable in 12.3% and 15.2%, respectively. Conclusion: More than half of the participants were found to have good diabetic foot self-care practices. Diabetics having good knowledge on foot care and involving in regular physical activity showed good foot self-care practices.
ISSN:2249-4863