65% of diabetics do not know their treatment (study)

People with diabetes have a low level of knowledge of their treatments and deficiencies in the realization and knowledge of health self -control, according to a study, the Spanish Family and Community Pharmacy Society (SEFAC) has carried out.

The ASDIFAC study, which has been carried out in community pharmacies to more than 650 patients from all over Spain, aims.

Of the total number of participants who in the study, only 35.6 percent of patients had adequate knowledge of their treatment, although 88.9 percent complied with it. both knowledge andCompliance were higher at a higher level of studies.

The study has also analyzed the satisfaction of patients with their treatment, resulting in 82.8 percent is satisfied and that this satisfaction is greater if the treatment is well known.However, satisfaction is lower among patients who use insulin.

As for the health self -control of people with diabetes, the study indicates that 2.5 percent of insulin participating patients had not visited their family doctor or endocrinologist in the last year to evaluate a possible modification of theirpattern.16.5 percent made a visit and 35.1 percent two.

In addition, only 32.7 percent have glucagon at their home (of these 37.8 percent has ever used it) and they perform glucose self -analysis 94.2 percent of patients with insulin compared to 41,7 percent of non -insulinized.

Similarly, 71 percent of insulin patients make HBA1C determination (glucosylated hemoglobin) compared to 48 percent of non -insulinized.The awareness in the realization of self -control is also greater in the case of insulin patients with microalbuminuria analysis (70.6 percent compared to 44.4 percent).

The study also indicates that although patients are done these types of controls many of them do not know their meaning: 69.6 percent do not know what HBA1C means and 79.5 percent do not know microalbuminuria.In addition, in the last year 56.9 percent have not made any review of Boca, 62.4 percent have not reviewed the feet and 68.7 percent have not been reviewed.

The study also analyzes the use of medicines by people with diabetes and has concluded that some patients can use up to three oral antidiabetics, in addition to insulin or the combination of both therapies.To this we must add that a significant percentage of analyzed patients also use medications for other pathologies: 63 percent of the participants also suffered from hypertension, 53.3 percent dyslipidemias and 29 percent cardiovascular disease.

Practical Guide

"The study indicates that the treatment for hyperglycemia and other pathologies does not meet the recommendations of clinical guides," says José Antonio Fornos, coordinator of the study and the Sefac Diabetes Group.

Precisely, SEFAC has launched an update of the Practical Pharmaceutical Care Guide to the Diabetic Patient, carried out with the endorsement of the Spanish Diabetes Society (SED) and the collaboration of Sanofi (which has also collaborated in ASDIFAC), and whose first edition waspresented in 2012.

The guide has incorporated all existing news in this area and is divided into five major chapters, in addition to bibliography: disease and complications, diagnosis and treatment objectives, non -pharmacological and pharmacological treatment, pharmaceutical care (dispensation,indication and pharmacotherapeutic monitoring) and coordination processes between doctors, nursing and community pharmacists.

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