Common misconceptions about insulin therapy in diabetic patients of a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar
Abstract
Introduction: Patients of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), a serious metabolic disorder caused by relative or absolute availability of insulin, may harbor misconceptions about Insulin therapy that may affect their level of control of the disease.
Objectives: To determine the common misconceptions about insulin therapy in diabetic patients, and relate the level of education to the misconceptions.
Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Rehman Medical Institute (RMI), Peshawar from January 1st, 2019 to April 1st, 2019. Data were collected on a predesigned structured questionnaire containing two parts, demographics and questions related to insulin misconceptions. The project was approved by the Department of Medical Research and Student Research Society of Rehman Medical College (RMC). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Frequencies, percentages and relationship between different variables was determined. The Chi-square test was used for comparison of independent variables keeping p ≤0.05 as significant.
Results: A total of 210 patients participated in the study which included 93(44.3%) males and 117(55.7%) females, of ages 15 - 98 years, the mean age being 52.20 ± 14.03 years. Most of the patients (75.2%) agreed that insulin was the last option in treatment, commencing insulin means last stage of treatment (66.2%), and insulin injections are costly (53.3%). Most of the individuals disagreed with facts 4 through 17 that were related to daily life activities, short-term use cure, weight gain and its effectiveness. The level of education was not a factor in determining the responses.
Conclusion: Diabetic patients were generally well informed with only a few misconceptions about insulin therapy.
Keywords: Insulin; Weight Gain; Diabetes Mellitus; Metabolic Diseases.
