Diabetes self-care activities and its correlates in patients with diabetic neuropathy.
Younhee Kang, Inkyung Park
PMID 39095972WHAT IT FOUND
Among 99 outpatients with diabetic neuropathy, after accounting for sex, foot-care education and insulin use, foot-care practice and confidence, not knowledge, were linked with more diabetes self-care.
Key findings
01In 99 patients with diabetic neuropathy, diabetes self-care activities were positively associated with foot care knowledge, foot care practices, interpretation of neuropathy and foot care confidence.
02In the adjusted regression model, foot care practice and foot care confidence were significant factors associated with higher diabetes self-care activities, while foot care knowledge was not significant.
03Participants averaged 65.45 points on diabetes self-care activities, about 3.85 days per week.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot show cause or direction; associations may reflect other factors. Diabetes self-care and foot care measures were self-reported rather than observed. The sample came from one university hospital in one region, and 69.7% were male. Patients with severe foot ulcers, wounds, leg braces or high fall risk were excluded, so results do not cover the most complex foot-care cases. The regression model explained 32.8% of variance and included a limited set of predictors.
Declared interests
The study was supported by BK21 Four funded by the Ministry of Education, Korea, and the National Research Foundation of Korea. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving foot care knowledge will increase diabetes self-care. In the adjusted analysis foot care knowledge was not significant, and the study was a cross-sectional self-report survey, so it cannot prove that any factor causes better self-care.