Quality of Chronic Disease (Diabetes & Hypertension) Care in Health Care Facilities in High Disease Burden Areas in Sidama Region: Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background

Diabetes and hypertension are major synergistic risk factors for microvasculopathy, microangiopathy, and neuropathy problems among patients with chronic disorder. Control of hypertension and diabetes have significant value in delaying these complications. The key for delaying complications in diabetes and hypertension is the quality of care.

Objective

This study explored the quality of diabetes-hypertension care in health care facilities with high disease burden in Sidama region.

Methodology

An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out. Patients with diabetes and hypertension were included in the study. In this study, we included 844 patients were included in the study. For data collection, the application software Kobo Collect was utilized. For data analysis, SPSS version 25 was used. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with quality of care. To measure quality, we employed patient outcome indicators focusing on long-term complications of the eye, heart, fasting blood pressure, and neuropathic complications. Ethical approval clearance was obtained from Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences ethical review board.

Results

The mean age of patients was 47.99 ± 15.26 years, with a range of 18–90 years, while men make up 62% of the overall number of respondents. In terms of marital status, 700 (82.9%) were married. Concerning place of residence; 433 (51.3%) were from rural area. The primary diagnosis is diabetes for 419 (49.6%) patients, and nearly 23% of patients have both diabetes and hypertension. In terms of blood pressure, the average systolic pressure was 129.6 mmHg and the average diastolic pressure was 82.6 mmHg. Among the study participants, 391 (46.33%) patients received poor quality of chronic disease care. Patients living alone, patients who have professional work, fasting blood glucose in normal range, patients with higher education, and patients with serum creatinine receive relatively good chronic illness care.

Keywords:

• high blood glucose
• high blood pressure
• diabetes-hypertension
• Sidama
• Ethiopia

Data Sharing Statement

By implementing the recommended strategies, we can foster a more open and transparent research environment, thereby enhancing the reproducibility, reliability, and impact of scientific findings. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request, subject to certain conditions such as the signing of data use agreements or additional permissions from the institutions involved in the research.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

This study was conducted as of the declaration of Helsinki and obtained received ethical approval from Hawassa University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences’ health ethical review board. Besides, the university wrote the same permission letter to the Hawassa city authority. The goal of the study was communicated to the respondents, and all study participants provided informed consent. For illiterate and unconscious participants, informed consent was obtained from their legal guardians after reading and addressing the concerns and the requirements of participants. Furthermore, all participants were informed of the possibility of publishing the findings. The right to leave the study at any time was guaranteed. To preserve participant confidentiality, coding was utilized to remove names and other personal identifiers of respondents throughout the study procedure. Throughout this investigation, we followed and adhered to all research rules and regulations concerning human subjects.

Acknowledgments

Above all, we would like to thank Hawassa University College for funding this research. We would also like to thank the data collectors for their endeavor and interest in taking part in data collection. Our heartfelt gratitude extends to health institutions and patients who willingly gave us all the information we needed without any reservation.

Author Contributions

All authors participated in the drafting, revising, and critical review of the article; they gave final approval on the manuscript to be published. They also agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted, and they all made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that be in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis, and interpretation, or in all these areas.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Hawassa University. However, there is no funding for publication charge.