Assessing the perceived awareness and knowledge of type 2 diabetes mellitus clients’ attitude towards telerehabilitation in Limpopo province of South Africa

Abstract

Background: Telerehabilitation is recognised as an effective method for providing rehabilitation services to people who may live in an area where few in-person services are available or those who have mobility or transport issues which make attending rehabilitation sessions difficult or impossible.

Aim: To assess the perception, awareness and knowledge of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and their attitude towards telerehabilitation.

Setting: The study took place in the Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality.

Methods: The current study followed a quantitative approach using a cross-sectional design to achieve the objectives of the study. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 202 participants aged 18 years and older. The research data were captured by a double-entry system into a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet and were cleared of errors. Thereafter, the data were transferred to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 2024. The data were checked for normality using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and was determined to be not normally distributed.

Results: Participants were proportionally represented in terms of age and gender. The majority of participants were aged 56 years and older, which is significantly represented by participants in this study. The current study found that there was no significant awareness, knowledge, attitudes or computer skills regarding telerehabilitation among the participants.

Conclusion: The results highlight the need for educational programmes about telerehabilitation as an alternative method for healthcare services.

Contribution: The study contributes towards assisting in developing an understanding of the awareness, knowledge, attitude and computer skills of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.