Knowledge, Attitude and Perceived Practice of Diabetic Foot Care Among Physicians in Primary Health Care Centers in Khobar, Dammam and Qatif in Saudi Arabia: 2019, A Cross - Sectional Study

Aims: To evaluate knowledge, attitude and perceived practice of DF care among physicians working in MOH in PHCCs in the Eastern Province of KSA. Methods: A cross - sectional study was conducted on 342 physicians working in PHCCs of MOH in Khobar, Dammam and Qatif cities in Eastern Province of KSA. Data was collected from physicians through an electronic self - administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 4 parts; demographic data, knowledge, attitude, and practice. Results: The present study shows that (35%) of the participants had poor knowledge. Only 4.2% of the sample had the correct knowledge concerning very high - risk categorization of DF. The majority of participants agree that DF assessment could predict future risk for DFU (87.9%), while 28.3% of physicians perceived treating a DFU as too risky to manage in PHCCs. More than half of the sample (55.8%) did not select personally the wound dressing type. Nearly 38 % of physicians refer more than 50% of DFU patients to higher centers. Conclusion: Considered number of participants exhibits a poor level of knowledge regarding DF care. More than half of DFU were referred by 38% of physicians. Insufficient PHCCs facilities and advanced cases were the most common reasons of referral to secondary care. Highlights: Diabetic foot is one of the major microvascular complications of diabetes that causes morbidity and premature mortality. DM prevalence in KSA is considered to be the second highest prevalence compared to other countries. DF ulcers were associated more with advanced age, lower body mass index, and longer DM duration.