Knowledge of and practice related to foot care among diabetic patients in primary health care center at Ministry of Health, Taif, Saudi Arabia

Background: Despite the continuous efforts aimed at prevention in the studied primary health care centers, there was a notable increase in amputation rate, which has a significant negative impact on survival of diabetic patients. Sufficient awareness of diabetic patients about foot care as well as its proper practice, is essential in preventing diabetic foot problems and amputation. Objectives: To assess the knowledge and practice of foot care among diabetic patients attending primary healthcare centers. Patients and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Taif city, among adult diabetic patients attending the primary health care centers, belonging to the Ministry of Health during the proposed study period from February to May 2022. An Arabic self-administered questionnaire including four sections (sociodemographic factors, patients’ knowledge about self-care of diabetic foot, patients’ practices regarding self-care of diabetic foot and the barriers for not routinely checking for diabetic neuropathy at diabetic foot clinic) was utilized for data collection Results: A total of 385 diabetic patients were included in the study. Their ages ranged between 14 and 75 years with an arithmetic mean of 40.6 and standard deviation of 13.2 years. Females represented 60.5% of them. Almost two-thirds of the participants (64.4%) were type 2 diabetic patients. Almost one quarter of diabetic patients (26.4%) expressed a good level of knowledge regarding foot care; particularly older patients (p=0.033), those living in urban areas (p=0.002), the employed (p=0.007), type 2 diabetics (p=0.029) and patients who obtained their information about foot care from internet/social media or health staff (p=0.004). Good foot care-related practice was reported among 42.1% of the diabetic patients; particularly Saudi patients (p=0.029), higher educated (p=0.016), employed (p=0.032), those with higher family income (p=0.048) and those who had their information about foot care from health staff (p<0.001). Conclusion: A relative suboptimal level of both knowledge and practice related to foot care was observed. Educational programs including practical sessions, preferably through using videos regarding the best practice of foot care are highly recommended for diabetic patients. Keywords: Knowledge, practice, foot, diabetic, PHC, Taif