Published on:June 2018
    Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Community Medicine, 2018; 4(2):51-54
    Research Article | doi:10.5530/jppcm.2018.2.14


    Inadequate Self-Care Behaviors among Malaysian Diabetic Patients: The Need for Action by Hospital Pharmacists


    Authors and affiliation (s):

    Ju-Ying Ang1*, Jie-Shi Leo2, Doris George2, Huan-Keat Chan3

    1Clinical Research Centre, Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Jalan Raja Asman Shah, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, MALAYSIA.

    2Department of Pharmacy, Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Jalan Raja Asman Shah, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, MALAYSIA.

    3Clinical Research Center, Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, 05460 Alor Setar, Kedah, MALAYSIA.

    Abstract:

    Background: Self-care behaviors have been confirmed to be strongly associated with clinical outcomes of diabetes management. Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of inadequate self-care behaviors among the Malaysian patients with type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through screening by hospital pharmacists. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken over a nine-month period at a public tertiary care center in Northern Malaysia. Self-care behaviors of 103 patients with T2DM were evaluated using the 16-item Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ), and the scores were dichotomized to represent “adequate” (≥6 out of 10) and “inadequate” (<6 out of 10) self-care behaviors. The risk factors for inadequate self-care behaviors were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results: The participants recorded a mean DSMQ score of 7.48±1.32, and 16 (15.5%) of them were found to have inadequate self-care behaviors. Among the four subscales assessed, the “Health-Care Use” had the highest score (8.36±1.99), while the “Physical Activity” had the lowest score (6.82±2.56). Patients with a duration of T2DM less than one year (OR: 12.00; 95%CI: 1.80, 80.05; p=0.010) and between six to ten years (OR: 7.11; 95% CI: 1.36, 37.31; p=0.020) were found more likely to have inadequate self-care behaviors, as compared with those with a disease duration greater than 10 years. Conclusion: A noticeable proportion of patients with T2DM in Malaysia had inadequate self-care behaviors, and were found to be associated with the disease duration. This study suggests a more active role for hospital pharmacists in monitoring and improving the diabetes management of patients.

    Key words: Malaysia, Tertiary care centers, Pharmaceutical services, Pharmacists, Self-care, Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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