| SHORT COMMUNICATION |
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| Year : 2014 | Volume
: 46
| Issue : 4 | Page : 425-429 |
Survey of knowledge-attitude-practice concerning insulin use in adult diabetic patients in eastern India
Sourav Das Choudhury1, Somak Kumar Das2, Avijit Hazra1
1 Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
2 Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kalyani, West Bengal, India
Correspondence Address:
Avijit Hazra
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0253-7613.135957
Objectives: The study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding insulin use among diabetic patients in tertiary care hospitals.
Materials and Methods: Type 1 and 2 diabetic patients, aged 18 years and above, attending the Medicine/Endocrinology out-patient department or admitted as in-patients in three hospitals in and around Kolkata were enrolled. A pretested structured questionnaire comprising of 51 items was administered through face-to-face interview. Responses from 385 subjects were analyzed.
Results: Both higher educational and higher economic standards were associated with better understanding of insulin use. Longer duration of diabetes and its treatment (oral anti-diabetic drugs and insulin) were associated with better knowledge of some parameters. Female subjects were less aware of HbA 1c as a monitoring tool. Among current insulin users, 70% had never used a glucometer; only 27.33% carried simple carbohydrates for use in hypoglycemic attacks; and 32% failed to rotate sites for insulin injection.
Conclusion: Knowledge and attitude were satisfactory on the whole but deficiencies in practice were pronounced, which can potentially be removed through appropriate counseling.
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