Knowledge and Perceptions of Prescribers Regarding Adherence to Standard Treatment Guidelines for Type II Diabetes. A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study From Pakistan

This study aimed to explore the perceptions and knowledge of prescribers towards adherence to standard treatment guidelines for type II diabetes in two cities of Pakistan; Islamabad (national capital) and Rawalpindi (twin city). A comparative, cross sectional study design was used to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of prescribers regarding adherence to standard treatment regimen for type II diabetes. The study population included private clinics as well as tertiary care hospitals of both private and public sectors of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Prescribers specifically dealing with type 2 diabetes mellitus were targeted. A questionnaire was developed through focused group discussions and distributed randomly to a sample of 360 prescribers in the two cities. Chi-Squared test (p ≤ 0.05) was used to compare the knowledge of prescribers (regarding standard diabetes regimen) having different levels of experience and practicing in public and private healthcare facilities in the two cities. The results of the present study showed that the overall knowledge of prescribers regarding standard treatment regimen for diabetes in the two cities of Pakistan was inadequate. No significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) among the knowledge of prescribers (regarding standard treatment regimen for diabetes) having different levels of experience and working in different sectors of healthcare facilities in the two cities was observed. The results of the present study highlighted poor management of diabetes due to lack of awareness of prescribers and unavailability of standard treatment guidelines for diabetes in the healthcare facilities in Pakistan.