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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease Management among Patients Visiting General Physicians in Islamabad: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nida Afzal

Aim: Diabetes is one of the major causes of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Epidemiological studies revealed a low knowledge of the general population about the disease. This study is aimed to identify the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of patients in Islamabad (Capital city of Pakistan) who visited their family physicians from Dec 01, 2020, to Feb 28, 2021.

Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire involving residents of Islamabad, earlier diagnosed with T2D and CKD, equal to or above 25 years of age, who visited their family physicians during the study period. Eligible participants were identified using purposive sampling. Questions about knowledge, attitude, and practices of disease management were asked.

Results: A high level of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) was observed in the majority of study participants. A few areas of low knowledge identified were the understanding of the relationship between high blood pressure and CKD and the treatment of renal disease with dialysis. Attitudes regarding disease prevention, outcome, and burden were high but the impact and management of renal disease were low. High practices of prevention, consultation, behavior, modification were seen but practices of disease self-management, usage of traditional herbal medicinal substitutes, and frequent clinical visits were low.

Conclusions: While most of the areas indicated a high level of knowledge, attitude, and practices some low-level areas were noticed. These should be the target of future interventions and public health programs for T2D and CKD for further improvement of KAP scores. Similar studies should be conducted among other population subgroups in other parts of the country. Targeted interventions/public health programs catering to the needs of all communities should be implemented and evaluated for their effectiveness to improve the overall level of healthcare in the country.