Educating Jamaican populace a mammoth task

AS HEALTHCARE workers, the debilitating effects of diabetes mellitus, from a clinical and family life perspective, has made us realise how important the nurse’s role is in educating the Jamaican populace on this lifestyle disease. It is a mammoth task, given our culture and lifestyle practices to include how we celebrate events and holidays.

“Jamaican people have a high rate of diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes has increased by 42 per cent over the last 17 to 18 years, where one in eight Jamaicans has diabetes with a prevalence of 14.6 per cent among females, and nine per cent among males. Key findings of the Jamaican Health and Lifestyle Survey III (2016-2017) indicated that Jamaicans will continue to face challenges of diabetes and its complications as approximately four of 10 Jamaicans are unaware that they have diabetes, which delays receiving healthcare.” (The Government of Jamaica, Ministry of Health & Wellness, 2018) Diabetes is the second leading cause of death for Jamaicans under 70 years old. It ranks as the leading cause of death for women in this age group and third for men.

Nurses are crucial in providing this help and support for people to understand the condition in order to make lifestyle choices to manage their blood glucose levels effectively. The responsibility of nurses is to provide care with the aim of modifying the lifestyle and preventing possible complications in individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.

Nurse as a diabetes educator considers client-centred care and effective communication with clients and their family as critical elements in achieving empowerment goals. They help clients to make decisions based on their own lifestyle to better manage their diabetes through selfcare and improving their quality of life.