Objectives India bears one of the highest global burdens of diabetes, with prevalence expected to rise substantially. Nurses play a crucial role in diabetes management through patient education, insulin administration, and routine monitoring, particularly in resource-constrained settings with limited specialist availability. Evidence supports the effectiveness of nurse-led care models in improving glycaemic outcomes and self-management behaviours. However, discrepancies between nurses’ perceived and actual knowledge of diabetes care have been reported, highlighting the need for objective assessment. This study aimed to assess healthcare providers’, predominantly constituted by nurses, knowledge of diabetes management in a tier-2 city in South India and identify gaps to inform targeted training initiatives. Material and Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 192 participants attending a diabetes education program organized by endocrinologists in a tier-2 city in Southern India. The majority were practicing nurses (187), with a smaller proportion of other healthcare professionals. Data were collected using the Diabetes Knowledge Test 2 (DKT2), a validated tool developed by James T. Fitzgerald, used with permission and minor contextual modifications. The questionnaire consisted of 30 multiple-choice questions, each question given 1 score for the correct answer and no negative marks, with total scores ranging from 0-30. Ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki were followed. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic characteristics and knowledge scores, while Chi-square tests assessed associations between knowledge levels and variables such as workplace setting and family history of diabetes. Results Nurses constituted 97.4% (n = 187) of the study subjects of the total 192 participants. The remaining small percentage (2.6%, n = 5) included other health professionals, such as dietitian and general practitioners. The mean age of participants was 33.35 ± 11.56 years, and females comprised 92.2% of the sample. Nearly half reported a family history of diabetes. Most respondents were practicing staff nurses (85.4%) predominantly employed in medical colleges or teaching hospitals. Only 18.2% had previously attended formal diabetes training, and the median experience in managing patients with diabetes was 5 years. The mean diabetes knowledge score was 18.57 ± 4.09 out of 30 (∼62%), indicating a moderate level of knowledge. Scores ranged from 6-29, reflecting considerable variability. Based on predefined cut-offs, 18.2% demonstrated poor knowledge, 65.1% average knowledge, and 16.7% good knowledge. The median work experience in diabetes care among participants was 5 years. Greater work experience, particularly >15 years, was significantly associated with better knowledge of diabetic management among nurses ( p 0.05). Conclusion Nurses and healthcare providers in this tier-2 South Indian setting demonstrated predominantly average knowledge of diabetes management, with a notable proportion exhibiting poor knowledge and relatively few achieving high competency. The higher the years of experience managing patients with diabetes, the more significantly greater their knowledge scores. The low prevalence of prior formal training underscores a critical need for structured, continuous, and standardized diabetes education programs. Enhancing nurses’ knowledge and skills is essential to improving clinical outcomes in diabetes care.
Bhat et al. (Mon,) studied this question.