Knowledge, attitude, and practice outcomes: Evaluating the impact of counseling in hospitalized diabetic patients in India

Background. Patient involvement forms the cornerstone of the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Objective. We evaluated the results of counseling selected hospitalized diabetic patients about their medications, disease, and lifestyle modifications in terms of knowledge, attitude, and practice outcomes. Methods. Diabetic patients were counseled via regular bedside meetings, via the distribution of leaflets throughout their hospital stay, and during regular follow-up visits for two months after discharge from the hospital. Results. Forty-six patients (19 in the test group and 27 controls) completed the study. In the test group, 12 patients (63.1%) were counseled in Kannada, the local language of the study site. A total of 30 to 60 minutes was spent in counseling 63.1% of the patients. Insulin was explained to 13 patients (68.4%); among the oral antidiabetic agents, metformin was discussed with 10 (52.6%) of the 19 patients. Although knowledge scores in the test group of patients improved, compared with those of the control group, as determined by the Mann-Whitney test (P <.05), we did not observe significant improvement in attitude or practice outcomes. Conclusion. Patient counseling by a clinical pharmacist improved knowledge scores, but this improved knowledge did not lead to appropriate attitudes or practices.