Abstract
Aims
To quantify and compare knowledge of diabetes including risk factors for diabetes-related
complications among the three main groups of primary health care nurses.
Methods
In a cross-sectional survey of practice, district and specialist nurses (n = 1091) in Auckland, New Zealand, 31% were randomly sampled to complete a self-administered
questionnaire and telephone interview, designed to ascertain nurses’ knowledge of
diabetes and best practice, in 2006–2008.
Results
All 287 nurses (response rate 86%) completed the telephone interview and 284 the self-administered
questionnaire. Major risk factors identified by nurses were excess body weight for
type 2 diabetes (96%) and elevated plasma glucose levels or glycosylated haemoglobin
(86%) for diabetes-related complications. In contrast, major cardiovascular risk factors
were less well identified, particularly smoking, although by more specialist nurses
(43%) than practice (14%) and district (12%) nurses (p = 0.0005). Cardiovascular complications, particularly stroke, were less well known than
microvascular complications, and by significantly fewer practice (13%) and district
(8%) nurses than specialist nurses (36%, p = 0.002).
Conclusions
In general, nurses had better knowledge of overweight as a risk factor for type 2
diabetes mellitus and elevated plasma glucose levels as a risk factor for diabetes-related
complications compared with knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors, particularly
smoking.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 31, 2014
Accepted:
January 3,
2014
Received in revised form:
December 14,
2013
Received:
August 7,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
