Can an interprofessional education tool improve healthcare professional confidence, knowledge and quality of inpatient diabetes care: a pilot study?

Abstract

Aims: To conduct a pilot study evaluation of an interprofessional education tool that could improve healthcare professional confidence, knowledge and quality of inpatient diabetes care.

Methods: Diabetes specialists designed an education tool for use in the hospital environment to educate qualified pharmacists, nurses, healthcare assistants and junior doctors. The interprofessional learning enabled professionals to learn from and about each other. The education tool was piloted at four hospitals. Diabetes specialists delivered the education programme to 31 healthcare professionals over 8 h either as three individual teaching blocks or a whole day. Healthcare professionals completed a multiple choice questionnaire before and after the education intervention to evaluate acquisition of knowledge. The maximum score was 20. Confidence was evaluated using categorical questions. Diabetes specialists used a clinical audit form before and after the education programme, to evaluate the quality of diabetes care.

Results: Healthcare professional's confidence improved from 58 to 94% (P < 0.05) and knowledge improved from 12.4 ± 0.6 to 15.0 ± 0.6 (mean ± sem, P < 0.05). There was a reduction in management errors from 74 to 44% (P < 0.05) and improvement in appropriate blood glucose monitoring from 67 to 92% (P < 0.05). The number of patients with documented foot assessment improved from15 to 33% (P < 0.05). Improvement in the number of appropriate diabetes referrals and reduction in prescribing errors did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion: The education tool improved healthcare professional confidence, knowledge and may improve the quality of inpatient diabetes care.