Knowledge and Attitudes of Diabetes Patients on Self-management Practices in Government Hospitals in the Upper West Region

Abstract

The study aimed at assessing the knowledge and attitudes of diabetes clients on self-management practices in public hospitals in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The research was a cross-sectional survey. It adopted stratified sampling technique to select 201 respondents. A questionnaire was used in the study for data collection with a reliability coefficient of 0.8. The data was analyzed using the SPSS version 21. The findings of the study revealed that diabetic patients are highly knowledgeable about the disease. Also, to a greater extent patient demonstrated a positive attitude toward diabetes. The study also revealed to a significant extent that patients had few barriers regarding self-management practices. The clinics provided several services to diabetic patients. It was also evident that diabetes patients to a greater extent adhere to prescribed self-management practices. There was also significant relationship between knowledge and attitudes of diabetes clients and self-management practices. It further revealed that demographic factors have no effect on self-management practices. Finally, there was a significant difference among the hospitals and their self-management practices.