Eureka! Institutional Repository

Diabetes mellitus is a very sever, chronic disease that is characterized by high levels of insulin, due to the absence of the secretion or the right action of the organism’s insulin. Especially type 1 diabetes does not discriminate between the different age groups and often affects young people, children as well as adolescents. However, given the multiple constraints and the daily requirements of this disease, children and adolescents with diabetes are obliged to take care of their needs, such as the frequent measurement of the blood glucose levels and the insulin delivery, in school. For this reason, it is necessary for the school staff, the teachers and especially the school nurses, to proved them with the appropriate assistance. School nurses are absolutely necessary for both the care of diabetic students, and the immediate and effective confrontation of the diabetes – related emergencies, such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Thus, the adequate knowledge and experience of the school nurses is a very important issue that has to be further investigated. The main goal of this project is the investigation of the knowledge, the viewpoints and the abilities of the school nurses in Greece regarding the management of the daily and the emergent needs of the diabetic students. For this reason, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 60 school nurses of Greece. According to the results of this project, the majority of the school nurses has the appropriate knowledge for diabetes, and knows how to manage an emergency of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Nonetheless, in many cases, the school facilities and equipment are not always sufficient to provide the students with the appropriate care. In conclusion, school nurses in Greece seem to have all the appropriate knowledge for diabetes mellitus of children and adolescents and make many efforts for the right management of their need, despite the restrictions that are posed by the school and its facilities.