Quality of Diabetes Care at Armed Forces Hospital, Southern Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To assess the current status of care provided by the Diabetes Center at Armed Forces Hospital, Southern Region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A total of 260 diabetic patients were randomly selected from those attending the Diabetes Center at Armed Forces Hospital, Southern Region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Study tools comprised patients’ data sheet and patients interview questionnaire. Results: Two thirds of patients aged 50 years or more. Half of patients had their disease for less than 10 years. Diet therapy alone was followed by 2.3% of diabetic patients. More than half of patients (56.5%) received insulin. Most patients were tested for HbA1c at least once per year (88.1%), and 71.5% received their lipid profile at least once within two years. Low indicators included receiving a dilated eye examination (35.4%), assessment for nephropathy (28.8%) and receiving a well-documented foot examination (12.7%). Highest risk HbA1c level ( 9.5%) was reached by 38.8% of patients, 48.8% had a low density lipoprotein level of 130mg/dL and 36.5% had controlled blood pressure (£130/80mmHg). Most patients were satisfied with their interaction with the treating doctor, 41.5% were satisfied with access to treatment. Hypertension was the most frequent comorbidity (38.5%). Conclusions: The quality of services as regard process and outcome is low at the Diabetes Center. The overall diabetic patients satisfaction is high while their satisfaction with access to treatment or health professionals is low.