Knowledge, self-administration of insulin practice, and associated factors among patients with diabetes at Thanh Nhan Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To describe the current status of knowledge, self-injection practices of Insulin, and associated factors among outpatients with diabetes mellitus at the Outpatient Department of Thanh Nhan Hospital. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to analyze data from 169 patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and treated with Insulin on an outpatient regimen at the Outpatient Department, Thanh Nhan Hospital, from May to September 2022. Results: Regarding knowledge of Insulin use, the proportion of patients answering correctly more than 50% of the questions remained at a moderate level (57.3%). In terms of practice, the proportion of patients who either did not know how to inject or performed poorly was relatively high (31.3%), while those with adequate to optimal injection techniques accounted for 68.7%. Conclusion: The knowledge and self-injection practices of Insulin among diabetic outpatients at Thanh Nhan Hospital were still limited. The relatively high rates of moderate knowledge and suboptimal injection techniques indicate the need to strengthen specialized health education programs and practical training in Insulin self-injection to enhance treatment outcomes and prevent complications