An observational study to assess the self-care patterns in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients using summary of diabetes self care activities (sdsca) scale in a tertiary care hospital

In the recent times, type 2 Diabetes Mellitus has become a global public health problem and one of the major economic burden. Many self-care behaviours in Diabetes Mellitus patients along with medications can improve healthcare outcomessignificantly. Objectives: The assessment of self-care patterns in type 2 diabetes patients by using self-report questionnaire known as Summary of Diabetes Self Care Activities (SDSCA) and to understand the selfcare behaviour in type 2 diabetes patients with respect to different variables. Methods: A prospective, observational and analytical study was conducted on patients admitted to in-patient departments of Sagar Hospitals, Bengaluru for a period of 6 months. The details about general information of patient’s diagnosis, laboratory data and other information were collected. Results: A total of 75 patients were included in this study. There was a positive association of education with self-care recommendations like low fat eating plan, complex carbohydrate diet, eating lots of food high in dietary fibre and eating lots of fruits and vegetables. This study identified that majority of study population did not follow selfcare recommendations like healthy eating plan, exercise, blood sugar testing and foot care. Conclusion: Our study identified inadequate counselling of lifestyle modifications and self-care recommendations in diabetes patients. We conclude that there is a need to have targeted programs to improve self-care patterns for better quality of life"