Date of Completion

Summer 7-31-2024

Document Type

Open Access Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Faculty Advisor

Joanne Roman Jones, JD, PhD, RN

Site Advisor

Djenny Lobo Lopes, DNP, MSN, RN

Second Reader

Lingling Zhang, ScD, FAMIA

Abstract

Background: Diabetes affects over 280,000 children under 20 in the US, requiring specialized knowledge and skills for management. In a large urban school district with 54,000 students, 159 have diabetes, cared for by 158 school nurses. These nurses often struggle with the complexities of diabetes care and lack standardized training, leading to potential suboptimal care. An online diabetes education program was implemented to improve their competency, knowledge and skills, and confidence in managing diabetes in school-age children.

Methods: An asynchronous online competency-based diabetes education program to improve nurses’ competency to care for school-age children with diabetes was implemented in an urban public school district to address several issues, including a lack of standardized training, familiarity with diabetes equipment, and access to up-to-date resources.

Intervention: The intervention took place in three phases: pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation. The pre-implementation phase included developing the education program and surveys and pre-testing (pilot) the program to seven school nurses. Implementation involved inviting 144 school nurses to participate and complete the program. The post-implementation phase included data analysis and synthesis.

Results: Stakeholders convened to develop the education program and surveys. Seven school nurses participated in the pilot program, deeming it 100% feasible and clear. Sixty percent (n=87) of school nurses participated in the program and 49 completed the entire program including the pre-test, watching the education video, post-test, and post-program satisfaction survey. Participants had a 7 % increase in knowledge, a 10% increase in skill self-assessment, and an 18% increase in confidence after engaging in the program. Additionally, 98% of participants reported satisfaction with the program.

Conclusions: Implementation of the locally tailored asynchronous online diabetes education program was effective in increasing nurses’ competency, knowledge and skills, and confidence to care for school-age children with diabetes. The program has the potential of being sustained, standardized, and mandated for all district school nurses as part of their orientation and training. Furthermore, the diabetes education program may serve as a valuable resource for the district to develop educational programs about other chronic conditions. Future research should explore the impact of the diabetes education program on students' diabetes care.

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