Abstract
The purpose of this research, which is a descriptive study, was to study the relationship between effective factors to decrease the blood sugar level of the diabetes mellitus
patients who are clients of the Diabetes Clinic, and actual decreases in blood sugar levels.
The samples were 176 non-insulin-dependent type diabetes mellitus patients who were
clients of the Diabetes Clinic, Saraphi Hospital, Chiang Mai, during the period from October 2006 to December 2006, using purposive sampling according to required characteristics. The data collection method was a combination of interviews and studies of medical
records. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis, and chi-square for hypothesis
testing.
The research results were as follows: about half (48.9%) of the samples had decreased
blood sugar levels and most samples (53.4%) had self-care at a good level. Moreover, it
was found that age, weight, and period of being diabetic were not related to decreased
blood sugar levels, but the self-care of the patients was related to a decreased blood sugar
level, statistically significant at the .05 level.
This research result is useful for the officers concerned, as guidance for enlightening
other diabetes mellitus patients formally by focusing on the self-care of diabetic patients
in order to obtain more effective services.
