ASSESSMENT OF NURSES' KNOWLEDGE REGARDING HYPOGLYCEMIA RECOGNITION AND MANAGEMENT IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF KPK

Muhammad Aliyan; Muhammad kashan

doi:10.46903/gjms/23.4.2101

ASSESSMENT OF NURSES' KNOWLEDGE REGARDING HYPOGLYCEMIA RECOGNITION AND MANAGEMENT IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF KPK

Muhammad Aliyan, Muhammad kashan

Abstract

Background: Hypoglycemia, especially in hospitalized patients, is a potentially fatal condition. Preventing complications requires prompt recognition and management and nurses play a pivotal role in ensuring patient safety. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of nurses regarding the recognition and management of hypoglycemia in tertiary care hospitals of KPK.

Materials & Methods: From March to April 2025, five tertiary care hospitals in KPK were included in a descriptive cross-sectional study. Nurses with more than a year of experience were given a pre-validated questionnaire on recognizing and managing hypoglycemia. SPSS v22 was used to analyze data from 481 completed responses, with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: Among participants, 67% demonstrated good knowledge, 24% average, and 9% poor. Most participants correctly identified the definition (66.5%), symptoms (64.2%), and first-line treatment for conscious patients (70.6%). However, fewer correctly answered advanced questions regarding treatment for unconscious patients (54.4%) and medication adjustment in recurrent hypoglycemia (46.5%). A significant association was found between clinical experience and knowledge level (p <0.05), but not with educational qualification (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: In spite of satisfactory level of knowledge, there are still significant gaps in the treatment of complex hypoglycemia cases. To improve clinical preparedness it is encouraged to implement regular hands-on training, simulation-based learning, and enhanced curriculum that emphasize endocrine emergencies.

Keywords

Emergency Treatment; Hypoglycemia; Knowledge; Nursing Care; Tertiary Care Centers.

Full Text:

PDF

References

ElSayed NA, McCoy RG, Aleppo G, Bajaj M, Balapattabi K, Beverly EA, et al. Summary of revisions: standards of care in diabetes-2025. Diabetes Care. 2025;2:48.

Al Hussaini H, Alismael A, Alquraini M, Alhabdan T, Alramadan H, Alqattan J, et al. Knowledge regarding hypoglycemia and its management among patients with insulin-requiring diabetes mellitus in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2023;15(10):e018. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.018

Majić K, Car M. Knowledge and attitudes of Croatian nurses toward hypoglycemia management: a cross-sectional study. Diabetology. 2025;6(7):65.

Al-Shaibany A, Vyskocilova M, Abdulla R. Healthcare staff awareness of hypoglycemia among inpatients in a model 3 hospital university hospital. Endocrine Abstracts. 2024;99. Available from: https://www.endocrine-abstracts.org

Das M, Khati P, Banik R, Bhowmik A, Chakraborty M, Das B, et al. A study to assess the knowledge on hypoglycemia among diabetic patients in selected hospital, Siliguri. Int J Adv Med. 2022;9(11):1108.

Ndebu J, Jones C. Inpatient nursing staff knowledge on hypoglycemia management. J Diabetes Nurs. 2018;22(1):1.

Shriraam V, Mahadevan S, Anitharani M, Jagadeesh NS, Kurup SB, Vidya TA, et al.; Seshadri KG. Knowledge of hypoglycemia and its associated factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in a tertiary care hospital in South India. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2015;19(3):378-82.

AlTowayan A, Alharbi S, Aldehami M, Albahli R, Alnafessah S, Alharbi AM, et al. Awareness level of hypoglycemia among diabetes mellitus type 2 patients in Al Qassim region. Cureus. 2023;15(2):e022. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.022

American Diabetes Association. 6. Glycemic targets: standards of medical care in diabetes-2018. Diabetes Care. 2018;41(Suppl 1):S55-64. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc18-S006

Heller SR, Peyrot M, Oates SK, Taylor AD. Hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin: it can happen. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2020;8(1):e001. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-001

Viswanathan AK, Shabbir A, Ganesh D. 2-PUB: Assessment of awareness about hypoglycemia and its management among nurses in South India—the HYPO N study. Diabetes. 2025;74(Suppl 1):2-PUB.

Stewart M. Recognising and managing hypoglycemia in adults with diabetes in the emergency department. Emerg Nurse. 2025;33(2):4.

Furness C, Baker H, Hammersley M, Pal A. Audit of staff knowledge of the correct management of hypoglycaemia in a busy teaching hospital. Pract Diabetes Int. 2006;23(7):291-4.

Varlamov EV, Kulaga ME, Khosla A, Prime DL, Rennert NJ. Hypoglycemia in the hospital: systems-based approach to recognition, treatment, and prevention. Hosp Pract. 2014;42(4):163-72.

Tracy MF, Manchester C, Mathiason MA, Wood J, Moore A. Adherence to a hypoglycemia protocol in hospitalized patients: a retrospective analysis. Nurs Res. 2021;70(1):15-23.

Robinson A, Mathiason MA, Manchester C, Tracy MF. Evaluation of nurse-driven management of hypoglycemia in critically ill patients. Am J Crit Care. 2024;33(3):218-25.

Shea KE, Gerard SO, Krinsley JS. Reducing hypoglycemia in critical care patients using a nurse-driven root cause analysis process. Crit Care Nurse. 2019;39(4):29-38.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46903/gjms/23.4.2101