Assessment of the Attitude of Health Care Professionals Towards Diabetes Care in Mukalla, Yemen

Diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern and considered as a condition that leads to increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. The prevalence of diabetes in Yemen has been recently increased. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of health care professionals towards diabetes (HCPs) care in Mukalla , Yemen . The cross sectional study was conducted among health care professionals in Mukalla city, Yemen. The diabetes attitudes questionnaire was administered to 73 health care professionals (Doctors , pharmacists and nurses ) in Mukalla , Yemen in 2009. The data were analyzed descriptively and the inferential Kruskal -Wallis test was also used. This study found that healthcare professionals have relatively adequate attitudes toward diabetes. Doctors have higher attitudes score toward the seriousness of diabetes than other healthcare professional groups (pharmacists and nurses), and nurses showed the lowest attitude score among healthcare professional groups. Therefore, nurses and pharmacists should receive more education programmes regarding diabetes care

Impact of diabetes continuing education on health care professionals’ attitudes towards diabetes care in a Yemeni city

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a continuing education (CE) program on the attitudes of health care professionals (HCPs) towards diabetes care in Yemen.Methods: A pre- and post-intervention study was carried out in Mukalla City, Hadramout, Yemen and was offered to all physicians, pharmacists, and nurses registered in the Health Office in the Mukalla City. The HCPs were invited to attend a CE program. All participants filled out a questionnaire before the intervention (pre-test) that measured the attitudes of the participants towards diabetes. An interventional program was given in the form of a seminar, and participants were requested to complete the same questionnaire after the seminar.Results: A total of 73 HCPs attended the CE, including 19 pharmacists (26 %), 37 physicians (50.7 %), and 17 (23.3 %) nurses. The pre- and post-intervention changes in the questionnaire responses were significant only for attitude toward the values of blood glucose levels (p = 0.009) and attitude toward autonomy of diabetes patients (p = 0.023).Conclusion: HCPs in Mukalla City have positive attitudes toward diabetes. Physicians were more aware of the sequelae of diabetes than other healthcare professional groups with nurses showing the least understanding. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed upon designing education programs for diabetes specifically tailored for nurses and pharmacists.Keywords: Diabetes, Continuing education, Attitude, Health care professional