Knowledge, Attitudes, And PracticesAmong Paramedics in The Saudi Red Crescent Authority About Hypoglycemia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Hypoglycemia is a dangerous emergency which has many potentially lethal causes if left unrecognized and untreated. Since they are mainly the initial health care givers to attend to such instances, it is paramount important that they provide proper management. The cross-sectional study for this research was designed to assess the awareness, perceptions and behavior of paramedics in SPCA about hypoglycemia management. A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving conveniently selected 236 paramedics In The Saudi Red Crescent Authority using conveniently constructed structured questionnaire. A majority of participants (67.8%) were diploma degree holders while 72.9% of participants were in the age range of 21 to 30 years. The average number of points for knowledge about hypoglycemia was 4.18 out of 5, which confirms a high level of the participants’ knowledge. Of course, doing this, some shortcomings in differentiating hypoglycemia from other conditions were disclosed in the study. The perceived self-management of hypoglycemia obtained a better score with an overall positive attitude of 3.59/5. Concerning hypoglycemia, the factors significantly had paramedics’ knowledge, yet the level of perceived importance of managing hypoglycemia was acknowledged, but there was a lower agreement level with glucose management in suspected cases. The survey gave an overall mean of 3.7 mean rating on a 5-point scale out of the total acceptable practices in hypoglycemia management, with frequency of blood glucose checks most practiced. The study indicate a call for refresher training / orientation to update the knowledge of working women , build confidence and equip them to practice an evidence based management. Using simulation based training and defined protocols in the context of EMS may enhance paramedics’ readiness and hence enhance patient treatment results in the context of hypoglycemic codes.