Insulin therapy and nurses' professional knowledge

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