Association between knowledge, awareness, and practice of patients with type 2 diabetes with socio-economic status, adherence to medication and disease complications.

AIMS: Diabetes is a self-managed condition; knowledge, attitudes, and practices about the condition can influence the overall treatment outcomes and complications of the disease. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward diabetes among T2DM patients in the UAE, a highly prevalent country with diabetes. METHODS: We used the revised Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Scale on T2DM patients. The awareness on diabetes was then assessed based on socio-demographic characteristics, illness perceptions, medication adherence, diabetic self-care, and T2DM complications. RESULTS: Overall assessment of T2DM patients on their knowledge, and attitude toward their diabetes were good in the majority of participants (544, 76%; 570, 76% respectively). However, adherence to diabetic self-care practices was fair in the mainstream (437, 57%). The compliance to medication (527, 70%) and eye care practice (475, 63%), were quite high; yet regular checking blood sugar at home 330 (44%) and the foot care practice 336 (45%) were not satisfying. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the intensive education service being given and time the physician spends with the T2DM patients is highly associated with better practice and outcome of the disease. There is a need for the establishment of better DM education programs in PHC clinics and the development of more campaigns and enlightening programs, both for health care providers and public on T2DM self-care, complications, and nature of the disease. We suggest that new policies be established with a focus on increasing community awareness of diabetes and preventive measures in UAE.

Professionalism among multicultural medical students in the United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: Moral competencies and ethical practices of medical professionals are among the desired outcomes of academic training. Unfortunately, academic dishonesty and misconduct are reported from medical colleges across the world. This study investigates the level of academic dishonesty/misconduct among multicultural medical students. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the level of academic dishonesty/misconduct among multicultural medical students. DESIGN: Validated and customized version of Dundee Polyprofessionalism Inventory-1 detailing lapses of professionalism in undergraduate health professions education was used to determine the perceived prevalence and self-reported lapses of academic integrity in this study. RESULTS: This study shows that the majority (458/554, 83%) of medical students have admitted to acts of academic dishonesty mentioned in the questionnaire. Approximately 42% (231/554) of the students have given proxy for attendance and 71% of them considered this as an offense. Similarly, 12% (66/554) have copied from the record books of others, and 86% (477/554) have considered it unethical. In addition, 5% (28/554) of the students revealed forging a teacher's signature in their record or logbooks, with 16% (91/554) of them reporting that they have seen others forge signatures. CONCLUSION: This is the first multi-center, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic study involving a large number of participants that addresses academic professionalism among medical students in the Middle East. Certainly, the paucity of data limits definitive conclusions about the best approach to prevent academic misconduct in the UAE medical schools. Yet, the results of our study are anticipated not only to benefit the UAE but also to find application in the Arab world, with similar medical school programs, values, culture and tradition.