Knowledge, Skills, and Practice of Insulin Storage and Injection among Diabetic Patients and

Caregivers: A Case of Kiruddu Hospital, Kampala

Problem statement
Insulin administration is a critical therapy for type1 and type 2 patients with diabetes mellitus
with the therapeutic goal of maintaining a plasma glucose level. Being a protein hormone, insulin
requires optimal storage preferably in a refrigerator at 2-8℃ temperature away from freezing
coils and freezers till expiry, a prerequisite that is limited in underprivileged countries, Uganda
inclusive, hence comprising the overall quality of insulin. Insulin injection is required to
maintain euglycemic in diabetic patients. Accurate measurements skillful skin pinching,
injection practices, and regular injection site rotation play critical role in improving the
therapeutic outcomes. Inappropriate insulin injection, wrong measurement, and poor
administration can result to unpredictable and erratic insulin absorption and to either
hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia (poor blood sugar control) (Netere, Gebreyohannies&
Belachew, 2019).
There is limited research on knowledge, skills, and practice of insulin storage and injection by
diabetic patients within the area of study; with this the study intends to assess the knowledge,
skills and practice of insulin storage and injection among diabetic patients
Study Significance
The will provide valuable information leading to the development of effective and evidenced-
based diabetic patients’ education, which will help improve patient’s knowledge, skills, and
practice of insulin handling and management.
Objectives
To assess knowledge of Insulin storage and injection among Diabetic patients and caregivers;
determine Insulin storage and injections skills among Diabetic patients caregivers; and evaluate
Insulin storage and injection practice among Diabetic patients and caregivers
Methods:
An institutional based descriptive research study employing mixed methods approach will be
conducted in Kirundi hospitals. They study will adopt qualitative and quantitative data collection
methods. Right or wrong responses will be used to assess knowledge. Four point Likert scale
will be used to evaluate practice and observation will be used to determine skills.
Results and impacts
The study will generate valuable information that will be used to improve patients’ outcome and
practice. Data obtained will also be useful in developing policy or guidelines regarding patient
teaching prior to initiation on self-administration, and follow-up of cases. Finally, data obtained
from this study will be used to develop effective teaching methods for patients with diabetes on
insulin injection. This will improve patient control and management of diabetes and limiting both
acute and chronic complications and improving clinical outcomes.
 COVER LETTER
Oscass Jimmy Ruva
C/o Makerere University
College of Health Sciences, Nursing Department
Box Kampala
Email: jimoscass2007@gmail.com
Date: 9th September, 2021.

The Coordinator,
Health Education Partnership Initiative (HEPI-SHSSU),
Makerere University college of Health Sciences,
Kampala.

Dear Sir/ Madam,

RE: APPLICATION FOR A RESEARCH MENTORSHIP TRAINING/ MENTORSHIP
Accept my kind regards.
I am writing to respond to your advertisement that was circulated through the Makerere
University College of Health sciences student emails seeking motivated students to apply for
research training/ mentorship with your organization, for which I take interest.
As a health science student, I believe that I should not just be a passive consumer of research
information, but also to actively participate in the generation of such information that could be
used by others to improve practice.
I have chosen to study “Knowledge, Skills, and Practice of Insulin Storage and Injection among
Diabetic Patients and Caregivers: A Case of Kiruddu Hospital, Kampala”. Because of increasing
incidence of Diabetes, a chronic and often debilitating disease, I feel it is important to understand
how patients diagnosed with the illness manage their condition with insulin, a hormone that is
usually used to facilitate entry of glucose into skeletal muscle cells and adipose cells or tissues
for storage. Results from this study will be used to develop targeted patient education in
managing insulin administration.
I look forward to hearing from in the near future to enable the realization of this intended
proposal objectives.
Sincerely,

Oscass Jimmy Ruva

BSN III-Makerere University
Personal Statement

My first encounter with a diabetic case was with my cousin brother who was diagnosed with the illness at

age 17 years. Unfortunately because of poor management, he lived less than eight months following his

diagnosis. Throughout my practices a nurse on the ward, I have witnessed many people suffering from

diabetes, the challenges they face in attempting to manage their disease, the life style changes required

following the diagnoses, and the requirement to use medications, either insulin or oral antidiuretics alone

or with insulin. Daily injection with insulin, a treatment mode that is required for all patients with type 1

diabetes and sometimes patients with type 2 diabetes is one of the most challenging, yet a requirement for

survival with diabetes. In my village, diabetes used to be referred to as a disease of the ‘rich’ for two main

reasons, according to locals: 1) because it frequently occurred in the ‘rich’ people and 2). Survival with

illness requires some kind of wealth or ‘richness’ because of the constant need for admissions and costs

involved with the management of the illness.

Today, diabetes is much common, in both the rich and the poor and the poor suffer the most adverse

outcomes from the illness. Poor control and management of diabetes potentiates serious complications,

both acute and chronic, all of which can be fatal. Most of the chronic complications of diabetes may lead

to irreversible organ damage such as visual impairment, chronic kidney disease, and erectile dysfunction,

among others.

I would like to study what patients already diagnosed with diabetes know about one of the most important

treatments for the illness insulin storage and injection, the skills they used to inject themselves with

insulin, and their practices regarding insulin storage and injection. I believe that with good knowledge,

appropriate skills, and better practice of insulin management and administration, patients with diabetes

can lead a better life with few complications. With this data, we can now develop well-structured and

targeted diabetic patient education to help improve their knowledge, skills, and practice of insulin

management.