Abstract:
Zimbabwe the population with DM is 4.8%. Cornerstone to the treatment of diabetes mellitus is self-monitoring of blood glucose which enables DM patients to actively participate in their treatment enabling continuous feedback on treatment modalities reducing frequency of hospitalisation due to acute and chronic complications of DM. Anecdotal evidence at Parirenyatwa Hospital suggests that most patients with pharmacologically treated DM inadequately monitor their blood glucose levels due to inadequate knowledge, lack of resources and visual impairments due to diabetic retinopathy. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between practice of SMBG and frequency of hospitalisation among patients with DM at Parirenyatwa Hospital aged 20-70 years. Orem’s self-care model provided the theoretical framework for this study. The research design utilized a descriptive correlational design. Simple random sampling was utilized to select a sample of 72 participants determined by Dobson’s formula. The study setting was Parirenyatwa Hospital Out Patients Department. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data. Data was analysed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS). Results showed that the majority of respondents (72.2%) had a low frequency of hospitalisation and only 44.4% had good practice of SMBG. The relationship between the practice of SMBG and frequency of hospitalisation showed a weak linear positive correlation (r=0.062 p<0.05) which was not significant. Nurses should pay increased attention to SMBG records, provide education and change treatment based on SMBG results. Males and those with primary education should be targeted more with health education messages on SMBG as they showed poor practice of SMBG.
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