ABSTRACT
Background: Diabetes has become a major health problem in India. Inadequate knowledge and training of frontline medical care givers like nursing staff, intern doctors and resident doctors may result in increase in both acute and chronic complications amongst diabetes patients. So, it results to high economic burden on family especially in rural parts of India. So, objective of this study was to assess knowledge about diabetes and its management amongst medical interns and nursing staff in tertiary care teaching hospital in Marathwada region of Maharashtra.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at IIMSR Medical College, Badnapur, Jalna, Maharashtra amongst 70 nursing staff and 70 medical interns by convenient sampling method during the period of June to August 2018. Knowledge on diabetes was assessed through 30 questions.Results: Knowledge related to diabetes and its management is assessed in 70 nursing staff and 70 medical interns using 50 item questionnaires. Out of 70 nursing staff mean knowledge score was 38.13 and out of 70 medical interns mean knowledge score was 40.17. Those nursing staff that had experience more than 5 years and positive family history of DM had significant greater knowledge than counterpart. There was no significant difference in knowledge level in gender, age, degree or diploma and whether in-service education opted or not amongst nursing staff. Amongst intern knowledge was more in those who had positive family history of DM. There was no significant difference in knowledge level in male and female interns.Conclusions: This study concluded that there was knowledge gap about diabetes and its management amongst frontline care givers like nursing staff as compared to medical interns suggesting requirement of additional training and educations amongst frontline health care providers.