Comparing Diabetes Management Knowledge Among Nursing Home Nurses in Spain and Poland: A Cross‐Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study compares diabetes care knowledge among nurses in Spain and Poland, finding that both groups need more training to better manage diabetes in elderly nursing home residents.

Contribution

The study provides a cross-country comparison of diabetes management knowledge among nursing home nurses in Spain and Poland.

Findings

Nurses in Cádiz, Spain, had higher diabetes knowledge scores than those in Warsaw, Poland, but both were suboptimal.

Age was the only significant predictor of better diabetes knowledge among Polish nurses.

No significant differences in knowledge were found based on gender, education, or diabetes training in either country.

Abstract

Older adults with diabetes living in nursing homes require complex care. Nurses play a central role in this care, yet limited evidence exists comparing their diabetes‐related knowledge across different countries. This study compares diabetes management knowledge among nursing home nurses in Cádiz, Spain, and Warsaw, Poland.

A cross‐sectional, multicenter study was conducted with 198 nurses in Cádiz and 57 nurses in Warsaw. The adapted 14‐item Diabetes Management Knowledge Assessment Tool (DMKAT‐14) was used to measure knowledge. Sociodemographic and professional variables were also collected. Independent t‐tests, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were used for analysis.

Mean DMKAT‐14 scores were higher in Cádiz (7.47 ± 1.74) than in Warsaw (6.05 ± 0.79), though both were suboptimal. No significant differences in knowledge were found based on gender, postgraduate education, or diabetes‐specific training. In Cádiz, no predictors were statistically significant. In Warsaw, age was the only significant predictor of higher knowledge scores (B = 0.057, p = 0.011).

Diabetes management knowledge among nursing home nurses in Spain and Poland shows room for improvement. Strengthening diabetes‐specific training may help improve diabetes management in nursing homes across Europe.