Effectiveness of a diabetes educational intervention on the knowledge level of registered nurses working in a public tertiary care hospital in Karachi: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder requiring effective self-management to prevent complications such as stroke, neuropathy, and nephropathy. Nurses play a pivotal role in diabetes care and education; however, limited evidence exists regarding the impact of structured educational interventions on their knowledge in Pakistan.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured diabetes education program on the knowledge level of registered nurses working in a tertiary-care public hospital in Karachi.

METHODS: A quasi-experimental pre-post study was conducted among 93 registered nurses at Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi. A single 120-minute educational session was delivered by a diabetes nurse educator. Data were collected using the validated Diabetes Basic Knowledge Tool (DBKT) before and one week after the intervention. Analyses were performed in IBM SPSS Version 23 using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and Chi-square tests, with p < 0.05 considered significant.

RESULTS: Participants were predominantly female (75%), with 57% holding bachelor's degrees. Pre-intervention median knowledge score was 18 (IQR 15-21), which increased to 24 (IQR 21-27) post-intervention, representing a relative improvement of 33% (z = 6.259, p < 0.0001, r = 0.6). Post-test scores were significantly associated with age (p = 0.015), qualification (p = 0.001), and diabetic status (p = 0.036).

CONCLUSIONS: The structured diabetes education session significantly enhanced nurses' knowledge, highlighting the importance of integrating such programs into continuing nursing education to strengthen clinical competencies and improve patient care outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.