Patient education is well known to be an essential aspect in the management of diabetes mellitus. This report aims to provide a general review of nursing care management for patients with diabetes mellitus, in particular non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetes, at either the inpatient or outpatient levels, in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Furthermore, it aims to identify the factors that may be preventing the implementation of adequate diabetes nursing care. We have identified 48 professional nurses formally involved in centres for diabetic care with a response rate of 87.5%.