Assessment of Type 2 Diabetes Risk Among Nurses Working in the Emergency Department

This study aimed to assess the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) among emergency department nurses.

The study has a cross-sectional design.

A screening model was used to assess the risk of type 2 DM among nurses working in the emergency departments of public institutions in a province. Data were collected using a descriptive information form and the Finnish Diabetes Risk Questionnaire (FINDRISK). FINDRISK is an eight-item questionnaire used to assess DM risk, with a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 26. Risk categories are defined as follows: very high (≥ 20 points), high (15-20 points), moderate (12-14 points), mild (7-11 points) and low (< 7 points). Higher scores indicate greater risk.

The mean age of emergency department nurses was 33.8 ± 7.7 years. Among the participants, 59.4% were male, 23.8% had worked in the emergency department for > 10 years, 68.9% reported frequent consumption of fast food meals, and only 12.2% engaged in regular physical activity. Additionally, 53.8% had not undergone DM screening, 64.5% did not monitor their lipid profile, and 65% did not monitor their blood pressure. According to the FINDRISK assessment, 58.3%, 30% and 4.4% of nurses were in the low-, mild- and high-risk groups, respectively, with a mean FINDRISK score of 6.74 ± 4.09. Nurses who had worked in the emergency department for ≥ 10 years, did not engage in physical activity, had chronic diseases or a history of high blood glucose levels, or had undergone DM screening exhibited significantly higher DM risk scores (p < 0.05).

Emergency department nurses face varying degrees of DM risk influenced by individual factors. Therefore, assessment of DM is recommended, along with support to promote healthy lifestyle habits.