Nurses’ Ability to Provide Diabetes Education in a Hospital Setting

Diabetes is a destructive health problem that affects millions of people throughout the United States. Diabetes rates are drastically increasing, and diabetic adults have a higher risk of excessive hospitalization and readmission. One in every four or five hospitalized adult patients has diabetes. Hospitals nationwide are saddled with the responsibility of assessing the need for and supplying diabetic education. Registered nurses’ perception, awareness, and utilization of diabetes education are essential to patients’ ability and willingness to perform diabetes self-management interventions effectively. Meeting inpatient diabetes educational needs requires persistent, innovative strategies appropriate for available resources and staffing models. Nurses play a significant role in monitoring diabetic patients; hence, they must possess current information and be proficient in diabetes teaching strategies. This integrative review aims to investigate the status of evidence regarding registered nurses’ ability to deliver diabetes education in a hospital setting to identify barriers and facilitating factors in diabetes education and support.