References
The lived experience of patients from an ethnic group in Indonesia undergoing diabetic foot ulcer treatment
Abstract
Background:
A foot ulcer is a severe complications of diabetes, and patients' cultural backgrounds can greatly influence how they manage this condition.
Aim:
To explore the experience of people of the Batak Karo ethnic group in Indonesia in diabetic foot ulcer treatment.
Methods:
This was a phenomenological study where a purposeful sample of 10 people with diabetic foot ulcers participated in in-depth interviews. Data analysis was thematic using Van Manen's hermeneutic approach.
Results:
Five themes emerged from the study data: beliefs about health disorders; physical, psychological, social and spiritual changes; traditional treatments; cultural beliefs; and seeking health services.
Discussion:
People in the Batak Karo ethnic group strongly believe in supernatural powers and magic, and take part in a variety of traditional ceremonies to treat diabetic foot ulcers. They also use traditional treatments, including herbs. Nurses treating different ethnic groups, such as the Batak Karo people, should be culturally aware and competent to provide adequate care for them.
The prevalence of diabetes is rising across the world (Chun et al, 2019), and its complications can lead to serious illness and even death. One person dies every seven seconds from diabetes complications (Schaper et al, 2019). The leading causes of death among patients with diabetes include chronic kidney disease (24.6%), cardiovascular events (19.6%), sepsis (15.6%), respiratory failure (10.0%), malignancy (9.5%) and multi-organ failures (5.0%) (Jeyaraman et al, 2019).
A foot ulcer is a severe complication of diabetes. Treating foot ulcers is expensive, partly because patients with them can be hospitalised for a long period (Marzoq et al, 2019). People living with diabetes are afraid of developing a foot infection and needing a lower limb amputation (Bekele et al, 2019). Lower extremity amputation is the most dreaded consequence of this condition and is associated with complications, diabetes duration (more than 10 years), use of insulin and peripheral neuropathy (Wukich et al, 2018).
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