Knowledge, attitudes, and practice of Endocrinology healthcare workers regarding screening for pre-ulcerative diabetic foot lesions

Objective: To investigate knowledge, attitude and practice of screening pre-ulcerative lesions among endocrinology healthcare workers.

Methods: A new questionnaire was developed and distributed online and 1004 valid questionnaires were returned. T-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used for statistical analysis.

Results: A total of 1100 questionnaires were returned, and 96 were excluded. The scores of endocrinology healthcare workers' knowledge, attitude, and practice for screening for pre-ulcerative lesions were 45.46 ± 16.26, 92.11 ± 10.50, and 72.27 ± 17.63 respectively. 60.2% participants had been trained to screen for pre-ulcerative lesions, but 39.8% had not been trained. 31.8% of healthcare professionals claimed that their hospital did not have a screening project for pre-ulcer diabetic foot lesions. Positive relationships were found between knowledge and practice and between attitude and practice. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that: level II hospital and tertiary hospital were the main factors influencing the knowledge scores; Undergraduate and participating in relevant training were the main factors influencing the attitude scores; participating in relevant training, hospital conducts relevant projects, and patient cooperation, and working hours were the main factors influencing the practice score.

Conclusions: Endocrinology healthcare workers need more knowledge regarding pre-ulcerative lesions, and their screening practices need to be strengthened. Increased education and training for pre-ulcerative lesion screening should be implemented among healthcare workers in endocrinology departments.