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. 2013;8(2):e57400.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057400. Epub 2013 Feb 22.

Diabetes self-management and education of people living with diabetes: a survey in primary health care in Muscat Oman

James A Elliott  1 , Nadia Noor Abdulhadi, Abdullah A Al-Maniri, Mohammed A Al-Shafaee, Rolf Wahlström
Affiliations

Diabetes self-management and education of people living with diabetes: a survey in primary health care in Muscat Oman

James A Elliott et al. PLoS One. 2013.

Abstract

Background: Although the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Oman is high and rising, information on how people were self-managing their disease has been lacking. The objective of this study was therefore to assess diabetes self-management and education (DSME) among people living with type 2 diabetes in Oman.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in public primary health care centres in Muscat. Diabetes self-management and education was assessed by asking how patients recognized and responded to hypo- and hyperglycaemia, and if they had developed strategies to maintain stable blood glucose levels. Patients' demographic information, self-treatment behaviours, awareness of potential long-term complications, and attitudes concerning diabetes management were also recorded. Associations between these factors and diabetes self-management and education were analysed.

Results: In total, 309 patients were surveyed. A quarter (26%, n = 83) were unaware how to recognize hypoglycaemia or respond to it (26%, n = 81). Around half (49%, n = 151), could not recognize hyperglycaemia and more than half could not respond to it (60%, n = 184). Twelve percent (n = 37) of the patients did not have any strategies to stabilize their blood glucose levels. Patients with formal education generally had more diabetes self-management and education than those without (p<0.001), as had patients with longer durations of diabetes (p<0.01). Self-monitoring of blood glucose was practiced by 38% (n = 117) of the patients, and insulin was used by 22% (n = 67), of which about one third independently adjusted dosages. Patients were most often aware of complications concerning loss of vision, renal failure and cardiac problems. Many patients desired further health education.

Conclusions: Many patients displayed dangerous diabetes self-management and education knowledge gaps. The findings suggest a need for improving knowledge transfer to people living with diabetes in the Omani clinical setting.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Knowledge gaps among 309 patients, expressed as the percentage of patients with scores of zero or less for the five questions used to develop the DSME score.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Diabetes self-management and education scores of 309 patients categorized by their level of formal education.
A significant relationship was noted (p<0.001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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