Assessment of insulin injection, finger sticking fear and metabolic control parameters among patients with diabetes melli̇tus

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate insulin injection and finger sticking fear among patients with diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: This descriptive and cross sectional study included 208 randomly selected patients with diabetes mellitus who presented to the state hospital in Izmir, Turkey (West Anatolian), between February and September 2017. The data were collected using face to face interview technique with a patient identification form, Turkish version of the Diabetes Fear of Injecting and Self-testing Questionnaire (D-FISQ). Arithmetic averages, standart deviation (SD), pergentage, Independent sample t test and correlation were used in statistical analysis. Results: The mean age of the participants was 57.9± 13.2 (20-89) years, the majority of them were women (52.9%), had type 2 diabetes (94.7%) and the mean diabetes duration was 1-5 years (32.7%). The mean score of D-FISQ was found to be 36.1± 14.1 (15.0-60.0). A positive significant correlation was defined between total D-FISQ score and fasting glucose, and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that diabetic patients experienced in fear insulin injecting and self-testing. Moreover, it was found that higher level of fear of self-injecting and self-testing was associated with higher level of fasting glucose and diastolic blood pressure. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, blood glucose, culture of fear, needlestick injuries