Factors Affecting Nurses' Role Regarding Care of Patients with Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Abstract
Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition of diabetes due to complete or incomplete lack of insulin, characterized by hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, and ketonuria. The study aimed to evaluate factors affecting nurses' role regarding care of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. A descriptive exploratory design was utilized. Data were collected from Paid ICU and ICU of medical intensive care units at Zagazig University Hospitals. The study was conducted on fifty ICU nurses from the same hospital setting which have been selected to the study. Two tools were used for data collection, First: An interviewing questionnaire to collect personal characteristics of study nurses and questions to assess nurses' knowledge regarding diabetic ketoacidosis and factors affecting nurses' role regarding care of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. Second tool was an observational Checklists to assess nurses' practice regarding care of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. Results of this study showed that 62.0% of studied nurses were more than 25 years, female and had technical institute. More than half of them were single, had experience in ICU more than 3 years and had training courses regarding DKA, 36.0% reported that presence of guidelines regarding DKA. 80.0% of studied nurses had unsatisfactory level of total knowledge, nurses' role was affected by nurses' related factors, health setting related factors and patients related factors (40.0%, 74.0% and 68.0%) respectively. 72.0% of studied nurses had unsatisfactory practice level. Conclusion: the majority of studied nurses had unsatisfactory level of total knowledge score, more than two thirds of the studied nurses had unsatisfactory level in total practice regarding care of DKA patients and nearly two thirds of the studied nurses had factors affecting their role. In addition, there is a statistically significant positive correlation between knowledge score and practice score. Also, statistically significant positive correlation between practice score and factors affecting nurses' role. It is recommended to periodic refreshing training and educational program to enhance knowledge and practice for nurses regarding diabetic ketoacidosis.