Factor analysis of self-treatment in diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study

The patients who referred to the clinic of diabetes and those who were admitted to the General hospital in the city of Kashan due to diabetes mellitus were asked to participate in this cross-sectional study. For data collection, The 25 item questionnaire of Likert scale type with four scales was used. Factor analysis was performed to define the patterns of self-treatment.398 patients participated in the study. The mean age of the study population was 54.9 ± 12.9 years. The majority (97%) had type 2 diabetes. 50% of patients reported self- treatment. The self-treatment score was 45.8 ± 8.8 (25-100). Female gender, lower education and co-morbid illnesses of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and cardiac disease had significant relationship with self-treatment. The factor analysis procedure revealed seven factors that explained the 43% of variation in the self-treatment. These seven factors were categorized as knowledge, deficiencies of formal treatments, available self-treatment methods, physician related factors, the tendency to use herbal remedies, underlying factors such as gender and factors related to diabetes.There is a medium tendency for self-treatment in diabetic patients. The assessment of self-treatment practices must be an essential part of patients' management in diabetes care.Self treatment is a treatment of oneself without professional help, to alleviate an illness or a condition [1]. Persons with a strong self-treatment tendency might not seek any formal treatment [2]. Self-treatment is often associated with adverse effects, related to the improper use of substances [3]. Self-treatment is a common behavior all over the world. It is estimated that 83.3% of patients commit self-treatment in Iran [4]. In a study, the 75% of participants were reported to take analgesics for pain management, which were successful only in 45% of cases [5]. The symptom iceberg means that the majority of symptoms were self-treated. It is estimated that only one symptom in 37 led to