Inpatient insulin pump therapy: Assessing the effectiveness of an educational program

Abstract

Technological advances in diabetes management include continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. This article describes a pilot project using an educational intervention by a diabetes nurse educator aimed at familiarizing nurses with insulin pump therapy at a large teaching hospital. Teaching points included appropriate patient selection, principles of insulin therapy, and safe insulin pump operation. An embedded mixed-method design was employed to assess educational effectiveness. Results of the pretest and posttest analysis indicated that the program significantly increased knowledge and confidence among nurses for managing pump therapy. Copyright © 2013 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.