ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Diabetic knowledge is one of the limiting factors in optimizing treatment for diabetic patients. Despite educational programs carried out by healthcare practitioners, most diabetic patients are not managing their diabetes well. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of patients’ diabetic knowledge in Hospital Pakar Sultanah Fatimah and factors affecting it. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Type 2 Diabetic Mellitus (T2DM) patients in Hospital Pakar Sultanah Fatimah using the 14-item Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test (MDKT) validated questionnaire. The questionnaires were self-administered by patients during their scheduled appointments at outpatient pharmacy and Medical Outpatient Clinic (MOPC). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patients’ demographics, socioeconomic status and knowledge scores; while non-parametric tests were used to analyze the relationship between diabetic knowledge with patient demography and socioeconomic status. Results: There were a total of 262 respondents with median (IQR) age of 59(13.5) years. Majority of the patients were Malay, retiree/ unemployed and have household income less than RM3000. 66.4% of patients scored ≥7 points in MDKT-14. Race, household income and educational levels were significantly associated with knowledge scores (p=0.003, p=0.027 and p<0.001 respectively). A multivariate analysis was conducted and found that race and education level were significantly predictive of knowledge score with adjusted R2 =0.28. Conclusion: The respondents’ diabetic knowledge was moderate. By identifying the income, race and educational level as the contributing factors of patient’s poor diabetic knowledge score, we may target these areas to improve patients’ medication adherence and hence treatment outcome.