Knowledge and Practices of Insulin Injection and Medical Waste Disposal Among Patients with Diabetes in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia: a Cross-Sectional Study

Mashael Abdulhalim Huwaikem,1 Ahmed M Alrajeh,2 Md Gulzarull Hasan,3 Yousef Saad Aldabayan,2 Aishah Abdulrahman Almefarfesh,4 Lubna Abdulraman Alnaim,5 Ola Mousa6 1Clinical Nutrition Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Respiratory Care, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Applied Statistics and Data Science, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India; 4Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia; 5Clinical Nutrition Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia; 6Woman’s Health and Obstetrics, Faculty of Nursing, Minia University, Minia City, EgyptCorrespondence: Md Gulzarull Hasan, Email [email protected]: Diabetes mellitus is a serious global health issue with increasing incidence at all income levels. Insulin injections are frequently administered improperly. Proper disposal of sharps is commonly overlooked when using an injection technique.Aim: This study explores the knowledge and factors associated with insulin injection techniques among patients with diabetes. A study was also conducted to analyze the knowledge and practices of patients with diabetes regarding the disposal of medical waste.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study employing a questionnaire-based survey was conducted at two sites within Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Eligibility criteria comprised men and non-pregnant women aged 18 years or older diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes who administered insulin via insulin pens or syringes. The descriptives were presented and a chi-square test was used to study the association. All the data were analyzed using Jamovi software.Results: A significant association of knowledge was found with the duration of diabetes mellitus (p=0.031) and the source of insulin injection training (p=0.014). A positive correlation between participants’ knowledge and practice (r = 0.221, p < 0.05) was observed. Participants’ insulin injection practices reveal that 66.2% (n = 235) demonstrated good or safe practices, 33.8% (n = 117) exhibited average or potentially needing improvement practices, and 0.8% (n = 3) displayed poor injection practices. A mixed picture of medical waste disposal practices among the participants has been observed, with 30% (n = 106) exhibiting good or safe practices, 64% (n = 228) moderate practices, and nearly 6% (n = 21) of participants reported employing poor disposal practices.Conclusion: This study showed that insulin injection and medical waste disposal practices need to be improved. Most of the patients come under the average medical waste disposal practice category. More awareness campaigns and counselling sessions are crucial to improve the practices.Keywords: healthcare workers, insulin injection, medical waste disposal, patient with diabetes, patient education, knowledge & practice