Primary care nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards the management and prevention of diabetic foot ulcers

Abstract

Background: Nurses working in primary care are well positioned to be key health care professionals to prevent and manage diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). They play a crucial role in identifying and managing predisposing factors of DFU. Thus, having sound knowledge about DFU care and a positive attitude towards these patients is very important in promoting patient-centred care.

Aim: To evaluate primary care nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards the management and prevention of DFU in the primary healthcare centres in Malta.

Design: A cross-sectional design was selected.

Method: An online questionnaire was distributed to all nurses who work in wound care clinics within the primary health care centres in Malta (n=105). A total of 50 questionnaires were returned generating a response rate of 48%.

Results: The results showed that primary care nurses had a suboptimal knowledge of DFU management and prevention, with an average score of 57.38%. No significant relationship was found between knowledge scores and sociodemographic factors. While nurses had an overall positive attitude toward DFU care, with a mean score of 79.5%, some negative attitudes were noted, including concerns about the time-consuming nature of DFU care and the inability to educate every patient on prevention. There was a significant correlation between positive attitudes and interest in DFU care (p=0.005), as well as between knowledge and attitude scores (p=0.006).

Conclusion: This study highlights that primary care nurse have suboptimal knowledge about management and prevention of DFU, however, an overall positive attitude towards care for patients with DFU. More specialised training courses offered to nurses on a continuous basis are needed to ensure optimal quality of care towards patients with diabetes. Nurses should be given an incentive to attend these courses to develop their skills, keep abreast with evidence-based practices and optimise the provision of care.