Development of nursing practice guidelines for diabetic patients with hypoglycemia at Tha Uthen hospital, Nakhon Phanom province.

Abstract

     This study aimed to develop of nursing practice guidelines for diabetic patients with hypoglycemia at Tha Uthen hospital, Nakhon Phanom province, using action research. Conducted from March to September 2024. participants were selected by purposive sampling, consisted of two groups: 1) a group of practice guideline developers, including 1 physician, 1 pharmacist, 1 medical technologist, and 15 professional nurses; and 2) a group of 32 diabetic patients with hypoglycemia. The instruments for data collection included: personal data records of diabetic patients, nursing follow-up records focusing, an assessment form for hypoglycemia causes and risk factors, blood glucose monitoring records, patient readiness for discharge assessment, and a questionnaire on opinions toward the nursing practice guidelines for diabetic patients with hypoglycemia. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. compare the nurses' average opinion scores on the effectiveness of the developed nursing practice guidelines against the expected criterion of 4.00 points (80%) with t-test (one-sample). Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis.
     The research found that: 1) The set of nursing practice guidelines for diabetic patients with hypoglycemia was developed, including (1) assessment of hypoglycemia causes and risk factors, (2) blood glucose monitoring, (3) hypoglycemia management, and (4) patient readiness for discharge and education. 2) After implementing the nursing practice guidelines, 96.87% of patients did not experience recurrent hypoglycemia or require readmission. 3) Nurses' average opinion scores on the effectiveness of the guidelines were high (= 2.78, S.D. = 0.21), representing 93.33%, and average score was significantly higher than the expected criterion (p < 0.05).