Knowledge and practice of insulin injection techniques among nurses in general hospitals of Basra

Background. Persistent hyperglycemia is a symptom of diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic disorder that disrupts normal glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients often need to take insulin to control their condition. Patients might suffer life-threatening complications if insulin delivery errors occur due to a lack of knowledge. Insulin type, dosage, injection site, and administration method all play a role in insulin treatment for DM. Nurses employed by general hospitals in Basra City were the subjects of this study, which aimed to assess their knowledge and practice of insulin injection technique (IIT). Methods: A total of 94 volunteer nurses from four of Basra City’s largest hospitals—Basra General Hospital, Al-Mawani Hospital, Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital, and Al-Fayhaa Hospital—volunteered to take part in this cross-sectional study. They were between 25 and 55 years old. Results: While conducting this survey, we found that 68% of the nurses who participated had a fair-to-good understanding of insulin treatment, and 69.4% had a fair-to-good grasp of how to administer insulin. Conclusion: They have been injecting insulin for almost five years, yet their knowledge and experience have not improved their methods. Nurses who had more education demonstrated a better understanding of insulin treatment than those with less education.