About this Research Topic
Diabetes has become a serious clinical and public health problem around the globe. By the most recent estimates, around 415 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM), and the number is expected to increase to 642 million by 2040, making it one of the leading non communicable health care concern worldwide. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, blindness and lower limb amputations, and when not properly managed it will lead to higher health care cost, morbidity, and mortality, thereby creating greater financial burdens.
Diabetes is known to be a self-managed disease, as most (>90%) care is provided by the patients themselves. Importance of glycemic control is well established, as many studies reported reduction in diabetes related complication, but often it is not achieved. Although there are many factors which can influence optimum glycemic control, but adherence to relevant self-care activities, such as healthy diet, regular exercise, self-monitoring of blood glucose and use of medication are considered to play the leading role in establishing euglycaemia. A growing evidence has suggested that Patients’ adherence to diabetes self-care activities and medication therapy is associated with improved disease control and overall quality of life. The potential benefits of identifying factors that can augment self-care activities in diabetes are profound. This research domain is required to be fully explored in order to identify reasons for suboptimal glycaemic control, and its association with patients’ self-care activities.
Diabetes is known to be a self-managed disease, as most (>90%) care is provided by the patients themselves. Importance of glycemic control is well established, as many studies reported reduction in diabetes related complication, but often it is not achieved. Although there are many factors which can influence optimum glycemic control, but adherence to relevant self-care activities, such as healthy diet, regular exercise, self-monitoring of blood glucose and use of medication are considered to play the leading role in establishing euglycaemia. A growing evidence has suggested that Patients’ adherence to diabetes self-care activities and medication therapy is associated with improved disease control and overall quality of life. The potential benefits of identifying factors that can augment self-care activities in diabetes are profound. This research domain is required to be fully explored in order to identify reasons for suboptimal glycaemic control, and its association with patients’ self-care activities.
Keywords: Diabetes, self-care, self-management, medication adherence, disease knowledge
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