Insulin-related knowledge of health care professionals (HCPs) in a Nigerian tertiary health institution

Diabetes is a common disease, and increasing numbers of patients with it will be hospitalized. Insulin, a medication often prescribed in patients with diabetes on admission, is one of the commonest drugs with prescription and administration errors. This is related in part to poor knowledge of health care professionals (HCPs) of insulin, contributing to adverse patient outcomes. Different categories and cadres of HCPs were recruited to assess their knowledge of insulin names, characteristics, and inpatient insulin use among diabetic inpatients, utilizing a 20-item multiple choice question instrument. The study involved 179 HCPs: 84 doctors and 95 nurses. The response rate was 89 %. The overall mean knowledge scores were low: specialists achieved a mean (SD) score of 51 (17), residents 44 (18), interns 39 (14), and nurses 35 (11). Many HCPs in this study possessed a poor knowledge of insulin names, characteristics, and inpatient insulin use among hospitalized diabetics.