Abstract
BACKGROUND: Studies on diabetic patients' knowledge of their disease, hypoglycemia, insulin, and adherence to appropriate insulin pen usage practices are limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the knowledge of diabetic patients who use insulin pens about their disease, hypoglycemia, insulin, and adherence to adequate insulin pen usage practices and to identify the determinants of knowledge and adequate practices. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used in this study. The study involved patients with diabetes mellitus visiting primary healthcare outpatient clinics. Knowledge about diabetes mellitus was assessed via the Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test (MDKT), along with knowledge about hypoglycemia, insulin, and insulin pen use. RESULTS: A total of 387 patients with diabetes mellitus who used insulin pens were included. Of those, 248 (64.1%) had type 1 diabetes mellitus, and 139 (35.9%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus. The mean age of the patients was 37.8 ± 16.5 years, and the mean time since diagnosis was 13.7 ± 9.2 years. The mean diabetes mellitus score was 70.8% ± 18.3%, and the mean knowledge score of hypoglycemia was 84.4% ± 17.8%. The mean knowledge of insulin was 86.1% ± 8.4%. The percentage of patients who adhered to adequate practices regarding insulin pens was 75.7% ± 15.8%. There was a significant low-to-moderate positive correlation between knowledge about diabetes mellitus, hypoglycemia, and insulin and adherence to adequate practices involving the use of insulin pens. Knowledge about diabetes mellitus was significantly associated with higher educational level, higher monthly income, being employed, and having a shorter duration since diagnosis (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals significant knowledge gaps and inconsistent insulin use among diabetes patients, with women having higher knowledge scores. It also highlights the associations between diabetes knowledge, hypoglycemia, insulin, and adherence to adequate insulin use practices. The study suggests that different types of diabetes patients require different education and healthcare tools to better understand their condition and treatment plans, emphasizing the need for tailored education and healthcare tools.