The need for updating nurses’ knowledge and skills in the field of recommendations for diabetes care

Abstract

Abstract Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the need for updating nurses’ knowledge and skills in the field of diabetes care recommendations. Material and methods. The study included 580 nurses who were master’s degree students. A knowledge test including 20 questions on 10 procedures mentioned in the recommendations was used to collect research data. A total of 93.3% of students in the study group were professionally active. Results. A total of 11.9% of respondents had access to diabetes care recommendations. The largest knowledge deficits were found for: leaving an ‘old’ cannula for continuous insulin infusion using an insulin pump for 2-3 hours in place to allow for absorption of the accumulated insulin after inserting a new one; the time it takes to calibrate a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system by measuring capillary blood glucose after insertion of a CGM electrode; and indications for alternate site testing. Poor, fair, and good level of knowledge on recommendations was found in 12.8%, 84.3%, and 2.9% of respondents, respectively. Conclusions. 1) The level of knowledge of studying nurses on diabetic care recommendations is unsatisfactory. 2) Specialised nurses, as well as those participating in in-house training courses on diabetes and those declaring the accessibility of recommendations at workplace show a higher level of knowledge. 3) In the light of the development of new medical technologies, periodic workshops focusing on practical skills should be organised for nurses in their workplace, enabling the use of equipment for insulin administration and glucose monitoring.