Effect of Educational Sessions about Prevention of Retinopathy on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Diabetic Patients

Background: Retinopathy is a devastating consequence of diabetes that is one of the main causes of
blindness globally. As a result, it's critical to raise patient awareness of retinopathy prevention and
the significance of regular follow-up. Aim: To evaluate the effect of educational sessions about
prevention of retinopathy on knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetic patients. Study design:
This study was designed as a quasi-experimental. Sampling: The study subjects comprised of 120
diabetic patients who were at the medical outpatient clinics by using a purposive sampling
technique. Tools: Four tools were developed by the researcher for collecting the data of this study as
the following: tool one was a structured interviewed questionnaire that assessed patients' socio
demographic data, medical & family history. Knowledge assessment structured interview
questionnaire was the second tool. Self-reported practices sheet was the third tool. Attitude Likert
scale about prevention of retinopathy was the fourth tool. Results: This study revealed that, 41.5
percent of the patients were between the ages of 40 and 50. In the pre-test, patients had limited
awareness about diabetic retinopathy, but this improved following the educational sessions. Diabetic
patients' practice and attitude improved significantly after attending the health education sessions.
Conclusion: Diabetic patients who attend the retinopathy prevention exhibited greater knowledge,
improved practice and showed higher positive attitude scores compared to before attending the
sessions. Recommendation: Health education sessions raise diabetic patient's awareness regarding
retinopathy prevention by approaching camping in rural and urban areas.