ABSTRACT
Nurses' knowledge about insulin and diabetes is very important to provide competent care. Nurses have the responsibility to ensure adequate education and management for diabetic patients. Several studies documented a deficiency in their knowledge. The aim of this study is to: a.] Assess the knowledge of nurses about insulin; duration of action, availability, administration and side effects. b.] Reveal the role of experience upon their knowledge. A questionnaire was formulated by the Endocrine Unit - King Hussein Medical Center [KHMC] that contained 10 questions of 17 items. 337 questionnaires were distributed to six Royal Medical Hospitals in Amman, Zarka and /Irbid regions. State registered nurses who have a direct role in preparing and administering insulin were included. 300 questionnaires were returned. Questions were answered as true or false. Nurses were subdivided into 3 groups according to years of experience. [Group A, 1-5 years, group B, 6-10 years, group C, > 10 years]. We obtained a return rate of 89%, with an overall true rate of 63.1% [SEP 0.0602, SD +/- 0.02985. 95% C.I.= 0.6858, 0.5766. corresponding to P< 0.05] and false rate of 36.9%. Best results were obtained in group B with 67.6% true rate then group C with 63.6% and group A with 58.1% true rate. It was concluded that our nurses are ill-equipped to educate patients and to administer insulin with their present level of knowledge. A well- organized, structured program of teaching is essential to raise their level of knowledge and eventually improve diabetic management and care