Diabetes is a long-term chronic disease with high incidence, prevalence rate, and cost. It is the fifth leading cause of death in Taiwan. This study aimed to identify the important factors for predicting potential disability in diabetes. A cross-sectional survey design was conducted for patients >20 years of age with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. A total of 157 samples were obtained.

The average age of the patients was 65.2 ± 12.1; 55.4% were women, 37.6% had good HbA1C control, and 63.1% were overweight or obese. Results showed that age, level of education, working status, number of diagnosed diseases, disease duration, number of complications, HbA1C, and ADL and IADL scores were all associated with potential disability. Patients who had been sick for less than one year had an odds ratio 17.9 times that of patients who had been sick for more than one year. Moreover, the odds ratio of disability for two or more complications was 6.5 times that of patients without complications. Diabetes patients further exhibited poor response to therapy and easy disease recurrence, severely affecting their quality of life. All these results indicated that personal traits, health conditions, and disease-control situations were important factors for predicting potential disability. Accordingly, we recommend that medical staff establish a good case-management system and provide urgent relevant care that can alleviate disease symptoms.