The Crucial Role of Awareness and Education in Promoting Effective Diabetes Self-Management and Reducing the Risk of Complications

Objective: Disease awareness is a pivotal factor in the management of illness. In chronic and progressive conditions, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), this awareness can be as effective as pharmacological interventions. This study aimed to assess how aware diabetic patients are of the complications of their disease.Methods: This cross-sectional survey included patients diagnosed with DM. A total of 14 survey questions, divided into 7 different categories, were directed at the patients. The singular questions evaluated the patients' awareness of the complications, while the associated-secondary questions aimed to inquire about the sources of their awareness.Results: In this study, a survey was conducted with 300 diabetic patients, yielding a response rate of 90.2%. The mean age was 53.81 +/- 9.87 years. The level of awareness of complications was high among all patients (80.5%). The awareness level of ocular-related complications was the highest, while that of neuropathy was the lowest (50%). When patients were categorized by educational status, education increased awareness but decreased adherence to combined drug use. The patients' doctors were identified as the most significant source of support for raising awareness of complications. This support was further enhanced by the educational level. Conclusions: High levels of awareness of complications related to diabetes, still being primarily provided by doctors, and improvement of patients' educational status, can lead to a decrease in the number of patients with a poor prognosis. Therefore, increasing awareness of diabetes-related complications and improving patients' educational status may positively impact reducing the incidence of poor prognosis among diabetes patients.