Objectives: To assess the self-care knowledge and adherence to self-care practices among diabetic patients attending Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi, and their association with demographic characteristics.

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: Diabetic Clinic of Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1^st May 2019 to 31^st December 2019.

Methodology: The Diabetes Self-care Knowledge Questionnaire (DSCKQ-30) was used to evaluate the variables under study. Socio-demographic information was also collected. A total of 380 patients were interviewed. Diabetic patients aged greater than 18 years and those taking anti-diabetic medication for at least one month before the study were included. Pregnant women, those newly diagnosed (less than one month), or yet to be placed on medication, were excluded.

Results: The majority of the study sample i.e., 212 (55.8%) patients had a high (>70%) overall knowledge level about self-care while 168 (44.2%) showed low (<70%) overall knowledge. It was found that self-care knowledge was predicted by age (p<0.001), monthly income (p<0.001), education (p<0.002), duration of diabetes (p<0.006), and by the presence of friends and relatives with diabetes (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Diabetes self-care knowledge was generally high among the population studied. However, adherence to self-care practices was low. Thus, the doctor should briefly cover the essential aspects of diabetes mellitus to maintain adherence to self-care practices among patients.