The knowledge, attitudes and current practices of Malaysian physiotherapists in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes Krishnan Premala1,*, Krishnan Kamala2, Xiang Chiew Jie3 1Lecturer, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia 2Lecturer, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia 3Year 3 Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) Student, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia *Corresponding Author E-mail: dr.premalakrishnan@gmail.com
Online published on 20 February, 2023. Abstract Background and Objectives Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a lifestyle disease that affects 463 million of adults worldwide. In Malaysia, DM especially Type 2 DM (T2DM) has an alarming increasing trend. Physiotherapy has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing and managing T2DM. Hence, a Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey is conducted to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and current practices of Malaysian physiotherapists in preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods Malaysian physiotherapists were recruited to answer a KAP survey. The survey contained 44 items in four domains: demographics and education, attitudes and beliefs, current practices, and knowledge of diabetes. A descriptive analysis was completed for all the response variables from the survey. Results 297 practicing physiotherapists in Malaysia predominantly from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were recruited. The participants generally had a moderate knowledge in T2DM care, in which a lack of hypoglycaemia management knowledge was noticed. A great proportion of respondents was not confident in key aspects T2DM care. Even though 76.73% of respondents agreed that T2DM fall under physiotherapy scope of practice, only 55.22% provided counselling on T2DM prevention and management. A lack in practice of blood glucose testing and monitoring was also noticed in most of the respondents. A discrepancy between respondents’ self-efficacy and knowledge was observed, in which a proportion of respondents were confident in providing T2DM care but lacked the relevant knowledge. Conclusion This study identified gaps in knowledge, attitude and practice on T2DM care by Malaysian Physiotherapists. Measures to close the gaps are therefore recommended. Top Keywords KAP, Malaysia, Physiotherapist, Diabetes, Type 2. Top |