Chinese Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Diabetic Kidney Management: A Multi-Centered Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Given the importance of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) management, this study aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices in disease management demonstrated by healthcare workers from the nephrology department. Materials and Methods This study is a multi-centered cross-sectional study, and adopts snowball sampling, with 530 healthcare workers being recruited to complete a questionnaire covering areas such as demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of DKD management. This data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistics analysis. Results In this study, 530 healthcare workers were studied, including 94 doctors and 436 nurses. The participants were mainly from general tertiary hospitals in 14 provinces. For Chinese nurse, the results indicate that both poor knowledge level (Odds Ratio (OR) =0.63, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.42–0.94) and having experience in further medical training in nephrology (OR=1.92, 95% CI: 1.20–3.08) are associated with the practice levels. For Chinese doctors, having not experience in further medical training in nephrology (OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.15–0.83) are associated with their practice levels. Conclusion In summary, Chinese doctors and nurses in this study showed positive attitudes towards DKD management, but their knowledge and practical skills were lacking. This underscores a notable gap in achieving optimal DKD care. Notably, nurses’ knowledge influenced their management practices, and additional nephrology training correlated with better engagement. To improve patient care, enhancing nephrology healthcare professional training and addressing knowledge-practice disparities are recommended.