Background: Diabetes mellitus is a universal health problem with a global prevalence of 1.3%. India is known as the "Diabetes capital of the world" as it harbours the largest number of diabetes patients. There is lack of awareness about the existing interventions for preventing diabetes and for the management of the complications. One of the barriers in the way of seeking health care advice is the misconception about the disease, which revolves around all the aspects of diabetes, which include its prevention, control and treatment.
Objectives:1. To determine the various misconceptions about the management of Diabetes mellitus in the study area.
2.To find out the association of various misconceptions with the socio-demographic factors.
Material and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Urban Health Centre (UHC) Ariankuppam, Pondicherry. A total of 406 adult patients were interviewed. A pretested, semi-structured interview schedule was developed in the local language, and it was utilized to collect the data. The collected interview schedules were scrutinized for the accuracy of the information which was provided and for any lacunae. The compilation and analysis were carried out with the help of the EpiInfo software. The T test and the Chi-square test were used according to the distribution of the data, to see the associations of the different factors.
Results:The commonest misconceptions were "Diabetes can be cured by herbal treatment" (46.6%) and "Bitter foods reduce the elevated blood sugar levels" (46.6%). The misconception, "The treatment should be stopped if the diabetes is controlled for few months" significantly decreased with advancing age. There were no significant differences between females and males when the various misconceptions were compared. The commonest misconception among females was "Bitter foods reduce the elevated blood sugar levels" (49.4%) and among males, it was "Diabetes can be cured by herbal treatment" (47.9%). When the misconceptions were compared, it was found that there were significant differences between the subjects who belonged to different religions.
The key challenges to any health care setup during emergency situations, such as that of the COVID-19 pandemic would be to rapidly address hospital preparedness and response tailored to the local population, societal influences, political factors within the existing infrastructure, and workforce. Second, to adopt and moderate policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued by national and international agencies, such as WHO, CDC, and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) were tailor-made to the local conditions of the hospital and community. In this publication, we have discussed the challenges and experiences in preparation and responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary teaching hospital situated at a suburban locale in a small union territory. Puducherry is located in the South Eastern Coromandel Coast of India. The core processes, such as hospital preparedness, adoption, and amendments to SOPs based on dynamic changes in guidelines released by the central and local government, training given to health care workers, setting up the in-house diagnostic facility, surge capacity, management of supplies during the lockdown, infection prevention, and control and patient care are discussed. We have also reinforced our experiences in translating COVID-related opportunities for research and innovation in the form of awards and research proposals for the faculty and students of our institute. The lessons learned in terms of strength and limitations on the ground level of public health during this process is worth sharing as it would provide guidance in preparing the health care setups for pre- and post-pandemic.
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