Assessment of nurses` knowledge about diabetic foot care management in iraq

Background: Diabetic foot is a significant concern for diabetics, and it is one of the biggest challenges facing health care providers, particularly nurses. It is widely acknowledged that nurses play a crucial role in the care and treatment of diabetic feet, as well as in informinging patients about diabetic foot concerns, preventative foot care, and foot wounds. Nurses are constantly interacting with patients at risk of developing diabetes complications, and education is the most important factor in controlling diabetic foot complications, so they must have the skills and expertise to effectively address this issue. Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate nurses' knowledge needed to manage diabetic foot care at Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital in Al-Diwaniyah city / Iraq. Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in order to achieve the study's objectives. The current study was conducted on the nurses who were working at Al-Diwaniya Teaching Hospital in Iraq. Thev sample size was 298 (n = 298), which represents the representative sample of all nurses at AL-Diwaniya Teaching Hospital after some inclusion and exclusion considerations. Data collection form consisted of four domains, demographic characteristics, professional characteristics, risk factor, and foot examination. Data collection took place between April 2022 and July 2022. The data were analyzed using the statistical software. Frequencies, percentages, maximums, and minimums were used to describe the data Results: The study found that 44,3% of the nurses were young (18–25 years old). Concerning gender, the greater number of them were females and accounted for 54,4%. In relation to social status, the most were married, accounting for 65,8% of all nurses. While the level of education, 44,3 % of the nurses had diplomas while only 2% had postgraduate degree. Regarding the shift work, most (59.1%) of the nurses were working during the day. 69,1% of the nurses were educating patients about diabetic foot, and 57% of them did not perform diabetic foot exams for the patients. 83,2% of the nurses expressed a desire to be trained on diabetic foot care, particularly on foot examination. Regarding the knowledge assessment of the nurses about risk factors, the rate of nurses who answered the questions correctly was 63,8 %. Regarding the assessment of knowledge about foot examination, about 53 % of the total respondents were correct. Conclusions: This study's findings suggest that nurses lack essential knowledge for effectively managing diabetic foot care, which is also affected by substantial effects. It is recommended for nurses to regularly participate in training courses and educational programs in order to better care for diabetic patients