Assessing health-related quality of life and clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes accessing healthcare in two public hospitals in south-eastern Ghana: a cross-sectional descriptive study

Diabetes is a significant contributor to kidney failure, heart attack, strokes, lower limb amputation, blindness, and other complications that negatively impact health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study assessed the HRQOL and clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes accessing healthcare in south-eastern Ghana.

This was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in the Ho Municipal and Ho Teaching Hospitals in Ghana among patients with type 2 diabetes who were seeking healthcare at both hospitals for at least 12 months. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 310 respondents out of the total sample size of 326 patients with type 2 diabetes and data were collected using diabetes-39 questionnaire. The data were analysed using STATA 16.0. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. Differences between proportions were tested using Chi-square to identify predictors of poor HRQOL and Pearson correlation for association. The p < 0.05 was considered significant.

Out of 310 respondents, 171 (55.0%) had poor HRQOL. The predictors of poor HRQOL were age (p < 0.008), education (p < 0.028), employment (p < 0.001), residence (p < 0.01), duration of diabetes (p < 0.002), diabetes education (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.005), and glycaemic control (p < 0.001). Energy and mobility (63.2%), anxiety and worry (53.9%), and diabetes control (49.6%) dimensions were the most prevalent of poor HRQOL. Diabetes education, complications, being diabetic for 16 years and above, earning income, resident in rural area, being married, being pensioner and national Service Personnel, and diabetes comorbidities were significantly associated with HRQOL.

More than half of the respondents had poor HRQOL. Clinical and public health efforts should focus on effective control and screening measures for the individual patients and general population.