Nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward diabetic foot care: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot complications are among the most serious consequences of diabetes and are associated with infection, amputation, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare costs. Nurses play a key role in risk assessment, patient education, wound care, and continuity of care. This study aimed to evaluate nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward diabetic foot care. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional, two-centre study was conducted between November 2021 and June 2022 with 146 nurses working in diabetic foot–related clinics in two tertiary hospitals in Izmir, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Nurse Information Form, the Attitude Scale Towards Diabetic Foot Care (ASDFC), and the Diabetic Foot Knowledge Form. In the current sample, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.89 for the ASDFC and 0.77 for the knowledge form. Although the Shapiro–Wilk test indicated deviations from normality, parametric tests were used given the robustness of these methods in moderately sized samples and the approximately symmetric distribution of the data. Items with communalities below 0.30 and factor loadings below 0.40 were considered for removal. RESULTS: No statistically significant relationship was found between nurses’ demographic characteristics and knowledge-level categories (all p > .05). Most nurses (57.5%) had a moderate level of knowledge. The overall mean ASDFC score was 20.86 ± 7.39. Attitude scores differed significantly by age (F = 5.767, p=.004), hospital (t =-1.976, p = .050), nursing experience (F = 7.546, p = .001), and diabetic foot care experience (F = 6.149, p = .003). Nurses aged 31–40 years and those with 6–10 years of experience had higher mean attitude scores than their comparison groups. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses’ knowledge levels were mostly moderate, whereas attitudes towards diabetic foot care varied according to age, professional experience, and institutional context. These findings support the need for structured, evidence-based in-service education and continuous professional development in diabetic foot care. Strengthening nurses’ knowledge and attitudes may contribute to better preventive care, patient self-care support, and improved clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.