IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) e-ISSN: 2279-0853, p-ISSN: 2279-0861.Volume 13, Issue 9 Ver. VIII (Sep. 2014), PP 28-32 www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 28 | Page Knowledge and Practice about Diabetic Mellitus and Insulin Injection Technique among Nurses in General Hospitals, Al- Hillah City Ali Hussein Alwan 1 ; Ameer Alhusuny 2 1 Associate Professor Ali Hussein Alwan Internal Medicine, Diabetology and Endocrinology M.B.Ch.B, F.I.C.M Department of Medicine College of Medicine/ University of Babylon 2 Lecturer AmeerAlhusuny Occupational Health and Epidemiology M.B.Ch.B, MSc Department of Community Medicine College of Medicine/ University of Babylon Abstract: Background: Insulin is a valuable drug in treatment of Diabetic Mellitus (DM)patients. Insulin will have tremendous impact, when it is used properly. Aim of Study: To determine the mean differences of nurses’ years of practice by socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge about DM as well as with insulin injection technique among volunteering nurses of three main hospitals in Al-Hillah CityMaterials and Methods: Ahospital-based cross sectional study design was carried out on 200 volunteering nurses from three main general hospitals. The study duration was from January and May 2014. Categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Continuous variables were presented as means with their 95% confidence interval (CI). Independent sample t-test was used to compare means between two groups. One way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare means between more than two groups. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The overall mean age of nurses was 37.07±10.72 years old. The mean year of practice for nurses was 15.85± 11.72 years. Majority 65.0%, 78.0% and 64.0% of nurses were male, married and from urban area. Majority 61.0% of nurses completed high school; meanwhile, only 35.0% of nurses had the position head of nurses.There were significant mean differences of nurses’ years of practice by nurses’ socio-demographic characteristics except the work shift. Meanwhile, there were significant mean differences of nurses’ years of practice by nurses’ knowledge about DM. There were significant mean differences of nurses’ years of practice by the questions: While giving insulin, did you check expired day, While giving insulin, which angle did you use and While giving insulin, did you use alcohol wipes prior to injection.Conclusion: This study has explored several aspects of diabetes and or insulin-related knowledge and practice among nurses in General Hospitals of Al-Hillah City. It has identified the need for improvement in their knowledge and practices for educating and treating diabetic patients attending hospitals. Key words: Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Nurses, Years of Practice, Knowledge, Insulin Injection Technique I. Introduction Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycaemiaas a result of disturbances in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. There are different etiological factors attributed to defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both [1] .DM approved to be the most common global public chronic disease that associated with serious long term consequences and escalating healthcare costs. There iscontinuous strain on health sectors as well as governmentsresulted by several physical, social and economic factors which involved in the management of DM [2 and 3] . World Health Organization (WHO) describes DM as the most common endocrine disease in the world [4] . It affects more than 230 million people worldwide and it is expected to affect 370 million people by the year 2030 [5] . Although, there is dramatic increase of urban population in developing countries between 2000 and 2030, however, DM is still growing as an epidemic in both developed as well as developing countries [6] . Since the incidence, prevalence anddiagnosis of DM havebeen increased;more peoplewill require care from health professionals [7] .Hyperglycaemia has become a common occurrence in hospitalized patients and most of recent studies have shown a strong correlation between hyperglycaemia and the risk of DM complications [8] .Therefore, glycaemic control is a key management strategy in critically ill DM patients and controlling blood sugar within euglycemia ranges provides positive outcomes [9] .Insulin therapy is a lifesaving treatment for Hyperglycaemic patients in the hospital setting; however, it can be life threatening if administered incorrectly [10] . There are different insulin products and insulin syringes on the market, therefore, administration of insulin continues to be a challenge to both the healthcare providers and the patients [11] .