Dissertation (MMed General Surgery)
Introduction; Diabetic foot ulcer and amputation remains very common in Diabetics worldwide and extremely affect patient’s quality of life. It has been proven that DFU can be prevented through education on DM and foot care practice, screening of diabetics and early intervention.
Objective; to stratify risk factors for DFU and assess knowledge on foot care practice among Diabetics attending Tumbi and Dodoma Regional Referral Hospitals.
Method; Hospital based cross sectional descriptive study done from June 2018 to May 2019 at Tumbi and Dodoma Regional Referral Hospitals. Interviewer administered Questionnaire was used, participants were examined for DFU risks and appropriate laboratory investigations were done. SPSS Version 22 was used to analyze data.
Results; A total of 250 Diabetic patients were studied, mean age was (53.66 ± 15.148) and most in age group of 40-64 years (57.6%), female predominate (52.4%) and majority were employed (63.2%). There was significant prevalence of history of amputation (12.4%) and DFU (29.2%). Prevalence of PN, PVD and poor knowledge on foot care practice was 41.2%, 34.8% and 44% respectively. The overall risk for DFU was 42%.
Conclusion and recommendation; There is significant prevalence of risk for DFU, DPN, DPVD and majority with poor knowledge on foot care practice. DM clinics should be initiated in all hospitals. Education on foot care practice and screening should be done in these clinics. KEY WORDS: Diabetic foot ulcer risk stratification/Diabetic peripheral neuropathy/Diabetic peripheral vascular disease/ Knowladge on foot care practice in Diabetic patients