Association Between Fear of Hypoglycemia and Treatment Satisfaction Among Patients With Diabetes Mellitus

Treatment satisfaction is one of the main factors of assessing care quality in patients with chronic diseases. Some factors may influence treatment satisfaction and improve or impair clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the relationship between fear of hypoglycemia and satisfaction with treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with oral antidiabetic drugs.

This cross-sectional study was carried out in one of the hospitals of Qazvin Province, Iran, in 2021. The research sample was 390 patients with type 2 diabetes who used oral antidiabetic drugs, selected through convenience sampling. The data were collected using the hypoglycemic fear survey (HFS) and the diabetes medication satisfaction (DiabMedSat) questionnaire. Then, the obtained data were analyzed using the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression in SPSS software, version 26. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.

Patients’ Mean±SD age was 53.4±11.49 years, and most (57.4%) were female. Treatment satisfaction score was lower in females (β=-0.12, P<0.007) and patients with diabetes complications (β=-0.138, P<0.005). Patients with college education had higher treatment satisfaction (β=0.173, P<0.001). Patients with very severe (β=-0.29, P<0.001) or severe hypoglycemia (β=-0.157, P<0.034) experienced lower treatment satisfaction than those with mild hypoglycemia. Low treatment satisfaction scores were associated with fear of hypoglycemia (β=-0.39, P<0.001).

In this study, fear of hypoglycemia was associated with a decreased level of satisfaction with treatment. As a consequence, patients with type 2 diabetes must be assessed for hypoglycemia fears and their adverse effects. Also, to prevent complications caused by not taking antihyperglycemic drugs, nursing managers and clinical nurses are recommended to prepare appropriate programs to implement psychological interventions to reduce the fear of hypoglycemia.