The purpose of this study was to survey staff nurses on their perceived and actual level of knowledge of diabetes mellitus. A convenience sample of 184 professional staff nurses from both inpatient and outpatient settings of a large research-teaching hospital was surveyed. The Diabetes Self-Report Tool (Cronbach's alpha = .91) was used to assess staff nurses' perceptions of knowledge of diabetes mellitus. The Diabetes: Basic Knowledge Test (DBKT; Cronbach's alpha = .79) was used to measure the actual level of knowledge of diabetes mellitus. The data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation coefficients. A moderately low negative correlation (r = -.36, P less than .001) indicated that the staff nurses' perceived knowledge of diabetes mellitus was inversely related to actual knowledge. Subjects were found to have a mean score of 64% on the DBKT. Study findings raise questions as to the adequacy of staff nurse knowledge of diabetes and the ability of staff nurses to assess themselves for knowledge deficits.

Many older Medicare patients with diabetes did not achieve recommended target levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipids. GHb and serum cholesterol are not being monitored at recommended intervals. Significant opportunities exist to improve diabetes care for this population.

The Frederick Restaurant Challenge proved to be a very successful, innovative, low-budget project that met its intended goals: to develop healthful meal options for people with diabetes (or for anyone wishing to eat healthier); to demonstrate that healthful food can taste delicious; and to encourage restaurants to continue offering healthful options on their menus beyond the challenge month. Community interventions such as the Frederick Restaurant Challenge offer unique and important strategies for affecting change and raising awareness not only for people with diabetes but also for the entire community.

Hypoglycemia is a common stressful occurrence for people with type I diabetes, is disruptive to daily activities, and is a source of embarrassment, fear, and anxiety. Adequate knowledge about hypoglycemia is needed to recognize, treat, and prevent this condition. Families and friends also need adequate knowledge about hypoglycemia to provide helpful support. In this study, the Hypoglycemia Knowledge Questionnaire was used to measure knowledge about hypoglycemia in a convenience sample of 94 young women with type I diabetes and 94 supportive others. Knowledge about hypoglycemia was significantly higher for the young women with diabetes than for their supportive others, although knowledge deficits were evident for the young women on selected questionnaire items. Because normalization of blood glucose is associated with an increased risk of hypoglycemia, comprehensive evaluation of knowledge about hypoglycemia is critical to self-care. Additional studies are needed to validate the reliability and evaluate the usefulness of the Hypoglycemia Knowledge Questionnaire in clinical and research applications. Hypoglycemia is a relatively common experience for people with type I diabetes, occurring in response to seemingly minor alterations in the usual routine of diet, exercise, and insulin. Even before the results of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial1 were known, young women with diabetes were considered candidates for tight control in anticipation of conception. All people with type I diabetes receiving intensive insulin therapy to normalize blood glucose face a significantly increased risk of hypoglycemia. Knowledge about hypoglycemia and its management are essential to minimize the adverse effects of insulin therapy and increase success with achieving target blood glucose levels. Prompt recognition and treatment of hypoglycemia by persons with type I diabetes and their supportive others depends on knowledge about hypoglycemia and is essential to reversing this condition. Knowledge deficits among adults with diabetes as well as among children with diabetes and their parents have been well documented in the literature.2–13 Thorough examination reveals that only a small number of items on knowledge tests assessed hypoglycemia knowledge per se. These items did not allow for adequate evaluation of the full breadth and depth of content recommended for hypoglycemia education for people with type I diabetes and their supportive others.14,15 Because of the comprehensive nature of recommendations for hypoglycemia education and the lack of adequate evaluation in this content area, a thorough examination of the hypoglycemia knowledge of young women with type I diabetes and their supportive others was undertaken as part of a larger correlational study on social support and hypoglycemia. The findings reported here are related to two study questions: 1) What is the level of hypoglycemia knowledge among young women with type I diabetes and their supportive others? and 2) What is the relationship between hypoglycemia knowledge of young women with diabetes and that of their supportive others?

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