Is Diabetes Patient Education a Tool for Improvised Care: Existing Perception Among Health Care Providers at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Aim and background: Diabetes is a serious disease leading to life-threatening complications if not managed carefully. Patients' education provided by nurses is vital to improving their health outcomes. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of registered nurses working in paediatric departments in a government hospital in Bahrain about diabetes patients' education. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was used to conduct the study. A convenient sample of fifty participants, including all nurses with more than three months' experience working in paediatric departments in the study hospital, were included. Nurse managers were excluded as they are not directly involved in patients' care. The participants completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Results: Fifty questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 80%. The majority of the participants were females (96%) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (82%) and working in the inpatient paediatric ward (54%). Participants reported a high level of perceived and reported self-competency (mean 4 ± 0.6 and mean 4 ± 0.7 respectively) and moderate environmental, colleagues, and manager support levels. Half of the participants reported having access to and using diabetes teaching materials. Conclusion and practice implications: This study indicated that nurses in paediatric departments generally have positive perceptions of diabetes patients' education. Regular assessment of nurses' competency, continuous education, and increased nurse managers' support can improve diabetes patients' education practices. More research is needed using qualitative approaches to determine the barriers preventing diabetes patients' education by nurses.