Keywords

DIABETES, DIABETES EDUCATION, DIABETES-RELATED INSTRUCTION

 

Authors

  1. El-Deirawi, Kamal M. MSN, RN
  2. Zuraikat, Nashat PhD, RN

Abstract

This study assessed nurses' actual and perceived knowledge of diabetes. These nurses were employed in a community hospital and home healthcare agency. The Diabetes Basic Knowledge Test (DBKT) and the Diabetes Self-Report Tool (DSRT) were used to assess actual and perceived knowledge. Nurses' actual and perceived knowledge were positively correlated (r = 0.402, p <0.0001). A mean score of 72.2% was obtained on the DBKT. The study findings raise questions about how competent nurses are in caring for patients with diabetes.

 

Diabetes is becoming increasingly prevalent among Americans affecting 15.7 million people. The disease ranks as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998). Furthermore, diabetes is one of the main causes of hospitalization among the U.S. population. According to Ray, Thamer, Taylor, Fehrenbach, and Ratner (1996), middle-aged persons with diabetes were at 60% greater risk of hospitalization because of general health conditions than patients who did not have diabetes within the same age group. Moreover, the length of hospital stay of patients with diabetes, 45 years of age or older, exceeded that of those without diabetes by at least 1 day (Ray et al., 1996). With the rapid changes in the healthcare system, an increasing proportion of individuals with diabetes will receive care in community-based settings. To meet society needs, home care nursing has expanded to provide care to a greater number of people with diabetes at their homes. Furthermore, several managed care insurers support nursing care and education provided to newly diagnosed patients with diabetes at their homes or workplaces (Fore, 1996).

 

Patient education is a crucial facet of diabetes control (Gossain, Bowman, & Rovner, 1993), and it has been cited in the literature as a significant factor that increased patients' knowledge of diabetes (Feddersen & Lockwook, 1994). Diabetes education was also found to enhance patients' adherence to diabetes control regimens and to have a positive effect on glycemic control (Peyrot & Rubin, 1994).

 

Nurses play an important role in diabetes education as they constitute the largest group of healthcare professionals who have a lengthy contact with patient with diabetes. Patients' knowledge of diabetes and its management depends, to a large extent, on the adequacy and effectiveness of diabetes-related instructions that they receive from healthcare professionals (Drass, Muir-Nash, Boykin, Turek, & Baker, 1989). Thus, nurses are expected to be adequate in diabetes-related knowledge and skills needed for patient and family teaching.