Empowerment of type 2 diabetic patients visiting Fuladshahr diabetes clinics for prevention of diabetic foot.

AIMS: Diabetic foot is one of the most serious and costly complications of diabetes. Empowerment is an important indicator in promoting foot care behaviors that helps patients to use their maximum abilities. This study was carried out with the aim of empowering patients with type 2 diabetes to prevent diabetic foot in the city of Fuladshahr, Isfahan, Iran.

METHODS: This is a quasi-experimental study. 104 eligible patients were randomly assigned to two groups: intervention group and control group. The data were collected through a form of profile, empowerment questionnaire, and foot care behavior checklist. The questionnaires were completed by the two groups in the pre-intervention, 1 and 3 months after the end of the intervention. Data were analyzed in SPSS22 using independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square, ANOVA, LSD post hoc test and repeated data analysis.

RESULTS: The results showed that there was no significant difference between two groups in terms of demographic variables. Independent t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean score of empowerment and foot care behavior before intervention. However, the mean score of empowerment and foot care behavior of the experiment group was significantly higher than that of the control group in 1 and 3 months after the intervention (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The empowerment of diabetic patients is effective in promoting foot care behavior, and implementation of empowerment programs in diabetes clinics in this city is recommended.