Evaluation of type 2 diabetes management in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: a primary care physician’s perspective

Background
Primary care physicians with an inadequate attitude and practics in managing diabetes may have a detrimental effect on the diabetic patients treated by them. These deficiencies need to be identified so that corrective measures can be planned.

Objectives
The aim of the study was to assess the attitude and practices of primary health care physicians of Jeddah City in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Material and methods
This is a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted among primary care physicians in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A validated and pretested questionnaire was randomly distributed among physicians working in most of the primary healthcare centers for data collection. Formal ethical approval and informed consent from participants was obtained, and confidentiality was maintained.

Results
A total of 225 PCPs working in PHCs of Jeddah participated in the study. 143 of them were male, and most were in the age group of 31 to 40 years. 83 PCPs had work experience of 10–14 years. The lowest score in the attitude section was for choice of the most important modality in DM management. DM management (48% correct answers), while in the practice section, the lowest score was for instructing patients to inject insulin at the correct angle (36% correct answers). Age, years of working experience, qualification and current designation showed a significant impact on attitude and practice.

Conclusions
This study has explored several aspects of diabetes related attitude and practices and has emphasized the need for improving the treatment and education of diabetic patients through postgraduate and Continuous Medical Education programs.