The transition from knowing to doing: teaching junior doctors how to use insulin in the management of diabetes mellitus

Objective To develop and evaluate a short education programme to improve the skills and confidence of junior doctors in managing the glycaemic control of inpatients with diabetes mellitus. Methods A total of 15 junior doctors completed two 1‐hour workshops on the practical skills required to manage the glycaemic control of insulin‐treated patients. The workshops were based on simulated case scenarios presented in a workbook format. Pre‐workshop performance and levels of confidence were tested, using a set of tasks matched to the learning objectives. Participants were re‐tested immediately after the second workshop and again after 3 months. Results There was a significant overall effect for time of testing for performance and confidence considered together, F(4,11) = 12.67, P = 0.000, power = 1.00. The mean score for performance for the intermediate and 3‐month post‐tests combined was significantly higher than the mean performance score for the pre‐test (11.00