MEASURING THE DIABETES KNOWLEDGE OF NURSES IN LONG-TERM-CARE FACILITIES

A knowledge test was developed by a local diabetes educators' group to evaluate the diabetes knowledge base of 59 nurses currently employed in four long-term care facilities in eastern North Carolina. The test contained items in the following categories: monitoring, medication, h ypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, illness care, diet, exercise, foot care, a nd patient/family education. The results of the diabetes knowledge tes t were analyzed according to overall test scores as well as scores in each of the selected categories. The overall scores ranged from 42% to 89%, with a group mean of 67% (passing = 70% or higher). The scores i n the individual categories ranged from 18.6% for monitoring and 23.8% for medications to 91.5% for patient/family education.