KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF FOOT CARE AMONG DIABETIC ELDERLY IN UKM MEDICAL CENTRE (UKMMC)

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus has become one of the major and rising diseases affecting population all around the world. The most common complication that rises from the Diabetes Mellitus is diabetic foot ulcer. The increasing rate in diabetic foot ulcer among elderly has become a challenge that continues to rise and worsen. This study is conducted to determine the knowledge and practice of foot care and also the relationship between socio demographic data with knowledge of foot care among diabetic elderly in UKM Medical Centre (UKMMC). This is a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 81 respondents are being participated in this study. More than half of the study participants are female and majority of them are 60-74 years old. The result showed a significant relationship between gender and marital status with the knowledge of foot care among elderly diabetic patient in UKMMC. The present study showed that there was no significantly relationship between age, occupation, monthly income, duration of diabetes, body image and level of education with the knowledge and the level of foot care. In conclusion, the result of this study will help the health organization, hospital, nurses and care giver to take more responsibilities of foot care for diabetic elderly individuals.