Abstract
Background Nurses, important members of the diabetes treatment team, have an essential role in the prevention of diabetic foot problems and in the care and education of patients at risk of diabetic foot problems. Objective The study evaluated the knowledge levels of nurses regarding diabetic foot care management and determined influencing factors. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The research sample comprised 435 nurses who worked in a private hospital. The research data were collected using the “Nurse Information Form” and “Nurses' Knowledge Level Form on Diabetic Foot Management”. Results It was found that 66% of the nurses did not receive training in diabetic foot care, 80.9% did not educate patients with diabetic foot problems, and 77.5% did not perform foot examinations on diabetic patients. Conclusion Nurses' knowledge level scores regarding diabetic foot management are adequate, but this knowledge is not used during patient care. In order to facilitate nurses' involvement in diabetic foot management, theoretical and practical training programs should be organized and nurses should be encouraged to participate in these programs.
Highlights
The diabetic foot is a serious complication of diabetes with high mortality, morbidity, and cost of treatment, which can be prevented by patient education and early diagnosis-treatment [1,2,3,4]
Diabetic foot problems are a frequent cause of hospital admissions for patients with diabetes and comprise the main factor determining the quality of life of diabetic patients [5, 6]
In our study, when we looked at the status of whether nurses received training in diabetic foot care, those who did had higher knowledge levels of risk factors, foot complications, footwear selection, and general diabetic foot management than those who did not
Summary
The diabetic foot is a serious complication of diabetes with high mortality, morbidity, and cost of treatment, which can be prevented by patient education and early diagnosis-treatment [1,2,3,4]. Recurrent chronic abrasions, minor abrasions, bullae, various irritations, verrucas and calluses, improper cutting of toenails, fungal infection, poor foot hygiene, inappropriate footwear use, and bad metabolic control are the most common causes of foot ulcer formation in patients [6, 8, 11]. Because of these changes, feet are easier to traumatize and wounds heal slowly, which increases the risk of infection. The study evaluated the knowledge levels of nurses regarding diabetic foot care management and determined influencing factors. In order to facilitate nurses’ involvement in diabetic foot management, theoretical and practical training programs should be organized and nurses should be encouraged to participate in these programs
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