Revisiting nurse knowledge about diabetes: an update and implications for practice

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Endocrinology
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Effective diabetes management relies on well-informed nursing staff.
• Gaps in nursing knowledge regarding diabetes mellitus can impact patient care outcomes.
• Assessing and improving diabetes knowledge among nurses is crucial for healthcare quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the level of diabetes knowledge among nurses at a university medical center.
• To identify factors (correlates) associated with nurses' diabetes knowledge.
• To compare diabetes knowledge levels across different nursing units within the medical center.

Main Methods:

• A convenience sample of 99 staff nurses completed a 45-item questionnaire on diabetes mellitus.
• Statistical analyses included Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to compare nursing units.
• Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictors of diabetes knowledge.

Main Results:

• A significant difference in diabetes knowledge scores was found between nursing units (P = .04).
• Nurse self-perceived competence in diabetic patient care and the number of diabetic patients cared for in the past month explained 28% of the variance in knowledge.
• The study confirmed previous findings regarding the variability in nurses' diabetes knowledge.

Conclusions:

• Nursing unit assignment is associated with differences in diabetes knowledge.
• Nurse confidence and recent clinical experience with diabetic patients are key factors influencing their knowledge.
• Further investigation is needed to ensure the general adequacy of nurses' diabetes knowledge for optimal patient care.