Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about acute coronary syndrome among patients with type 2 diabetes.
Camille Alardis Hunte Johnson, Natássia Condilo Pitta, Carina Aparecida Marosti Dessotte and 2 others
PMID 34816872WHAT IT FOUND
Guyanese patients with type 2 diabetes often did not recognize chest pain, arm pain, or sweating as heart attack symptoms.
Only two of 60 answered more than 70% of knowledge questions correctly, and most were unsure recognizing symptoms in others.
Key findings
01Only two participants (3.3%) correctly answered more than 70% of the knowledge questions.
02Less than half recognized common heart attack symptoms: chest pain or pressure 44.1%, arm pain 45%, and sweating 30%.
03Knowledge and Attitude scores differed by educational level, with higher medians for trade or university education: Knowledge 7.5, 9.0, and 13.5; Attitude 9.0, 12.0, and 14.0.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, drawn from two hospitals in one region, and selected by non-probabilistic consecutive sampling, so it may not represent all people with type 2 diabetes in Guyana. The stated inclusion criterion was diagnosis 36 months ago or later, but the reported mean time since diagnosis was 23.2 months, and the analysis compared groups diagnosed less than 12 months with those diagnosed 12 to 36 months. Some subgroup counts in the comparison table are inconsistent with the stated sample and Table 1, for example the physical activity row lists 9 participants as active while Table 1 reports 46. The study measured self-reported knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs once; it did not test an intervention or follow patients to see whether they delayed care or had worse heart attack outcomes. Missing data in medical records meant some comorbidities could not be confirmed.
Declared interests
Partly funded by CAPES in Brazil and by the Ministry of Finance of Guyana. The paper is extracted from a master's thesis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that patient education prevents heart attacks or reduces delays. It describes patients' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs at one time, not tested interventions or heart attack outcomes.