Affiliations 

  • 1 Clinical Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, SAU
  • 2 Pharmacy Practice, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, MYS
  • 3 Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, SAU
  • 4 Clinical Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Dammam, SAU
Cureus, 2022 Nov;14(11):e31522.
PMID: 36532936 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.31522

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled diabetes has appeared as one of the major risk factors for morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Alterations in dietary habits, physical inactivity, and inability to take advice from the physician are some of the contributing factors. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in Saudi Arabia on medication accessibility, medication adherence, lifestyle, and quality of life of diabetes patients.

METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among diabetic patients using a self-reported questionnaire developed on an online platform (SurveyMonkey®). The survey was distributed through social media platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram). For those who were digitally illiterate, responses were collected by family members. The targeted population was type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes patients. The analysis of the data was done using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26.

RESULTS: Four hundred forty-nine participants completed the survey. Most of the participants had type 2 diabetes (n=359; 79.8%) and were well educated (83.2%) with a high school degree and above. Complications from COVID-19 infection were reported in 12% (n=54) patients. During quarantine, 78.8% (n=354) of participants measured their blood glucose regularly. Results showed that during quarantine, 68.3% (n=311) participants skipped their scheduled follow-up whereas only 5.1% (n=23) of them took their medication inappropriately.

CONCLUSION: This study reported good levels of self-monitoring of blood glucose levels, whereas patients' accessibility to seek healthcare services seemed to be interrupted. Further efforts are needed in the post-pandemic era to empower patients' self-care behaviors and utilize telehealth models to facilitate timely access to medical care.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.