A most adequate and fitting theme
AS THE world celebrates World Diabetes Day on November 14, 2020, the theme ‘ The Nurse and Diabetes; Nurses make the difference’ is most adequate and fitting. The year 2020 has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the ‘International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife’, in honour of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The year has been extremely challenging for nurses globally, as the focus of care seems to have changed from one of caring largely for person with chronic non-communicable diseases and acute illnesses to that of responding to a global pandemic, the magnitude of which no one would have ever imagined.
Diabetes, known to most as ‘sugar’, is a common condition among Jamaicans, characterised by high blood sugar level over prolonged periods of time. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many other complications, to include cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney disease, foot ulcers, damage to the nerves and eyes, and even death. Diabetes-related deaths as at the 2019 statistics now stand at 11.9 per cent, this means that for every 100 deaths, 11 are diabetes-related.
It has been recognised that globally, nurses account for more than 50 per cent of all healthcare providers in every healthcare setting. So without question, the nurse is integral in identifying risk factors and at-risk individuals. The nurse has important roles and clear responsibilities when treating persons with diabetes. Nursing teams from across the nursing spectrum, including clinical nurses, nurses working in public health, school nurses and educators, are likely to interact with people and families with diabetes.
The roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Education re: prevention and behavioural changes.
• Screening.
• Promoting self-care.
• Identifying mental health issues associated with the diagnosis.
• Monitoring for signs and symptoms of hypo/hyperglycemia.
The theme put forward by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), ‘Nurses: A voice to lead – Nursing the World to Health’, which was adopted and expanded by the Nurses Association of Jamaica to read ‘Nurses: A voice to lead – Nursing the World to Health, one patient at a time’, has proven to be quite profound, as this COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world the vital role that nurses play in caring for, and keeping people healthy across the lifespan. So the president of the ICN postulates that while there has been significant disruption to healthcare, there have also been significant innovations.
While we go through this pandemic, we are also in an epidemic of lack of exercise and obesity, predisposing factors to diabetes. The nurse now has to identify ways to help persons, especially those with familial histories and predisposing factors, to avoid falling prey to this deadly disease.
The Nurses Association of Jamaica applauds the Diabetes Association of Jamaica for the work you are doing in helping to keep our Jamaican populace healthy and ‘sugar-free,’ and encourages you to continue to work, regardless of the challenges faced.