Nurses' perception and comfort level with diabetes management practices in long-term care

Increasing numbers of elderly people in long-term care have diabetes mellitus. We explored nurses' perceptions and level of comfort with current diabetes management of patients in long-term care.

A mixed-methods approach using a cross-sectional survey design, including both quantitative and open-ended questions, was used. The licensed nurses employed in 9 long-term care homes in southwestern Ontario were surveyed. The survey explored nurses' comfort with managing diabetes, detecting hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, glucose monitoring guidelines, and insulin administration and training.

Of 301 nurses invited (130 registered nurses [RNs], 171 registered practical nurses [RPNs]), 165 nurses (77 RNs and 88 RPNs) responded (165 of 280, 59% response rate). Nurses were female (93.3%); their mean age was 45.3 years (SD 11.7). Most noted that the medication administration system and guidelines regarding diabetes management were adequate; RPNs were more comfortable administering insulin than RNs (p=0.048).

The findings suggest RNs and RPNs have different comfort levels and perceptions of diabetes management.