Abstract

Objective: A diabetic patient should be provided a planned care and professional help throughout his life. Although sustained health-care is important for the disease, few patients, especially in developing countries, can reach health-care facilities and treatment. In the planning of the health-care policies, it is very important to know how many patients can reach these facilities. Aim of the study was to determine and compare the level of health care facility use by the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus among the patients who use various health care facilities.

Materials and Methods: The data was obtained via structured questionnaire which were filled by face to face interviews made between October 2002 and December 2002. The level of health care facility use was measured according to the Diabetes Care Scale and the affecting factor of using were studied.

Results: Generally, level of health care facility use was found to be low among diabetics; moreover, chronic complications were high among diabetics and they were not appropriately advised by the health care professionals. The Diabetic Care Scale score was found to be significantly higher in the patients who admit to university hospital (43.3±19.3) compared with those who admit to other health care centers (30.3±19.1)(p=0.0001). Of the patients, 79.6% had at least one chronic complication, the 13.6% had no problem to reach the diabetes nurse, and 59.6% had no problem to reach the doctor. But it was found that 47.6% of the patients were not using their drugs regularly. In our study, 52% of patients were able to be evaluated for HbA1c.

Conclusion: In Diyarbakır, the place of the study, the scores show that diabetic patients have difficulties to reach to the health care system. Because effective health care is very important for the diseases like diabetes, the barriers for the patients to use of preventive health care system should be eliminated. National Diabetes control program should be distributed to the general country and the medical service presented to the patients should be effective in all steps. Standard diagnosis and treatment guidelines should be prepared and the patients should be examined according to these guidelines. Once the diabetes diagnosis is confirmed, every patient should be given diabetes education.