Nurses to Face the Pandemic

¶ … Nurses to Face the Pandemic of Diabetes Mellitus:

Diabetes mellitus is an endemic disease that affects more than 135 million people worldwide. Current statistics project that by 2025 more than 300 million people will be affected by the disease. It is found that both genetic and environmental factors may be implicated in the onset of the disease. The fact that 13 years ago there were only 30 million diabetics compared to the present 135 million indicates the pandemic nature of the disease. [Katarina Hjelm et.al, 2003] Though the exact cause behind the anomalies in insulin production is yet to be identified, it is now clinically documented that obesity and inactive life style are definitive risk factors. The new nursing focus is on spreading diabetes awareness among the community. The fact that type 2 diabetes constitutes more than 85% of all DM cases, and that it is very much a preventable form of the disease, gives all the more impetus to the new strategic focus of nursing, in control of the disease. Being an epidemic of increasing proportions, it also makes practical sense for a community based approach to education and disease prevention rather than individual disease management. An active life style is the most certain way of keeping out diabetes. Specialized health clinics operated by nurses purely for the purpose of disseminating diabetes information, promoting life style management and screening for the disease is one of the recommended strategies. [Katarina Hjelm et.al,]

This research article, which is a review of existing literature on the subject, advocates the important role of nurses not only in the management of the disease but also in preventing it. The authors point out that there is a lack of previous studies focussed on health promotion and the effect on preventing DM. The conclusion of the authors is very logical and convincing from the statistics they show. It is important to note that type 2 diabetes (insulin independent diabetes), which is also widely prevalent, is a preventable condition. The authors argue that nursing focus must shift from a sickness service to a health promotion service among the healthy people. Nurses have a strategic role in care delivery and also in increasing the awareness of the disease among the masses. The authors suggest that a patient centred health care delivery system should be established. This approach is appropriate and endorsed by recent studies that show that nurses can improve care delivery for diabetics by promoting a problem-based learning model. [Gale Group] in this approach, patients are encouraged to actively interact in groups to discuss their problems related to the disease. It is found that such a self-care based approach is a more effective way of inducing positive behavioural changes in the patients than merely overloading them with information. There is no doubt that with proactive community-based education programs, nurses can play a leading role in striking at the root of the problem, that of setting right the life style disorder that poses a huge risk for the debilitating condition.