Impact of “nurse-led self-care package” on prevention and management of hepatitis B and C infections among patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a tertiary care setting of Northern India

ABSTRACT Context: Hepatitis B and C are blood-borne infections affecting the liver. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at increased risk of these infections through frequent percutaneous exposures while practicing regular blood glucose monitoring and insulin injections. Thus, the study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led self-care package on the prevention and management of hepatitis B and C among type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM) patients. Materials and Methods: An experimental two-group pretest–posttest design was used, and the study was done in the Endocrinology Outpatient Department, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. A total of 100 T1DM and T2DM patients were randomized into control ( n = 50) and experimental ( n = 50) groups. Primary outcomes included hepatitis B and C prevention practices and hepatitis B vaccination status. Data were collected from September to December 2023. Baseline assessments were done through interviews and observation checklists. The experimental group received a nurse-led self-care package followed by three telephonic follow-ups, i.e., at weeks 1, 2, and 4. Endline assessment for both groups was conducted at the eighth week. The study was ethically approved by the Institute Ethics Committee, PGIMER, and registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2023/08/057132). Results: The experimental group showed significant improvement in knowledge about hepatitis B and C prevention and management, with mean knowledge scores increasing from 18.56 ± 4.60 to 26.08 ± 1.60. Percutaneous exposure practices improved more in the experimental group, with a mean score change of 9.72 compared to 4.66 in the control group. The prevalence of hepatitis C among diabetic patients was 1%. Conclusion: The nurse-led self-care package effectively improved percutaneous practices and knowledge on hepatitis B and C prevention among T1DM and T2DM patients.