Knowledge and Practices of General Practitioners of Azad Jammu Kashmir in the Field of Diabetes and its Complications: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objective: To assess knowledge and practices of general Practitioners working in Primary health care facilities of Azad Kashmir about diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Methodology: A cross sectional survey was conducted from January 2021 to June 2021 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A non-probability convenient sampling technique was used. Ethical approval was taken from Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology. The data was collected by the participants after verbal informed consent using a self-structured questionnaire developed after taking into account various published studies from the past.

Results: A total of 302 general practitioners working in primary Health care facilities had completed the questionnaire. Approximately 64.6%, 61.3%, and 67.9% of general practitioners (GPs) correctly identified the diagnostic cut-off values for fasting blood sugar, random blood sugar, and HbA1c, respectively. Regarding the overall knowledge scores, 71.9% of participants had poor scores, while 20.5% attained fair scores, and only 7.6% achieved good scores. In regards to the clinical practice, 25.8% of GPs had inadequate scores, whereas 65.9% demonstrated adequate practice, and 8.3% achieved good scores.

Conclusion: The study concludes that a higher number (71.9%) of primary health care physicians in Azad Jammu and Kashmir are unaware of the recent advancement in the field of diabetes and its management. It also highlights significant gaps in knowledge and practices related to diabetes care among those. Furthermore, most practitioners had not undergone formal training in diabetes care since graduation from the medical school and were unaware of standard care guidelines.

How to cite this: Aslam MN. Knowledge and Practices of General Practitioners of Azad Jammu Kashmir in the Field of Diabetes and its Complications: A cross-sectional survey. JPES. 2024;1(2):43-47.