Nursing in Primary Health Care: Policy Into Practice, Coursework Example

Introduction

Nurses face critical challenges on a regular basis that demonstrate the importance of developing new strategies for improvement and for the creation of new ideas to achieve positive outcomes for all patients. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition with numerous complications; therefore, nurses must be active participants in the treatment plan and in the development of approaches to support patient care that contribute to greater health and wellbeing. Nurses must actively participate in the development of strategies that support the growth of practice settings and that provide a framework for achieving change in optimizing the health of patients with the disease. Nurse-led support of type 2 diabetes requires a continuous approach that will promote favorable treatment outcomes and widespread support for patients with the disease. Furthermore, policy-based initiatives are required in order to accomplish greater ethical responsibility for the needs of patients with the disease.

Analysis

With the continued increase of cases associated with type 2 diabetes, it is more important than ever to establish an effective policy debate that encompasses the most appropriate strategies to encourage widespread diagnosis, care, treatment, and prevention of the disease. Nurses must be ethically responsible advocates for patients and provide them with the tools and resources that are required to achieve optimal health with type 2 diabetes (Jackson, 2013). This is best achieved through the development of a framework that supports the expansion of practice through strategies that support policy-making agendas that have an ethically responsible framework in place (Jackson, 2013). One area to consider is nurses’ ability to promote diabetes education in the form of improved diet and exercise to provide patients with the tools required to alleviate diabetes-related symptoms and to encourage weight loss as required.

Nurses must be able to recognize the needs of populations who are most vulnerable to diabetes and to demonstrate their ability to be effective communicators of change to prevent diabetes in these populations (Pilkington et.al, 2011). Nurses serve as key promoters of policies that are designed to prevent disease and improve disease management; therefore, they must be active contributors to this effort and encourage the growth of practice settings through their efforts to utilize existing perspectives to transform the health of their patients (MacKenzie & Ross, 2013). This is an ongoing process with significant implications for nursing practice; therefore, active efforts must be made to accommodate patients and to provide them with a framework to promote change and progress in their lives (MacKenzie & Ross, 2013). Regardless of the stage of the disease, nurses must actively contribute to the care of patients with type 2 diabetes through their actions and also provide a means of expanding their knowledge to contribute to practice settings so that patients will significantly benefit from these opportunities (Corl et.al, 2014).

Conclusion

Nursing policies and practice methods regarding type 2 diabetes require a continuous effort to promote change and progress that will enhance the lives of patients and improve their overall health and wellbeing. Nurses must perform in an ethically responsible manner and possess the ability to encourage patients to be responsive to their health needs. It is not surprising that there is a widespread epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States; therefore, nurses must be attentive to the needs of their patients and provide them with a framework for change that supports their ability to maintain positive health and wellbeing, in spite of the disease. These factors impact how nurses promote recommended guidelines for care and how patients respond to them as part of a larger treatment plan.

References

Corl, D. E., McCliment, S., Thompson, R. E., Suhr, L. D., & Wisse, B. E. (2014). Efficacy of Diabetes Nurse Expert Team Program to Improve Nursing Confidence and Expertise in Caring for Hospitalized Patients With Diabetes Mellitus. Journal for nurses in professional development, 30(3), 134-142.

Jackson, P. (2013). Disease and Health Culture, Society, and Ethics (PDF).

MacKenzie, A., & Ross, F. (2013). Nursing in primary health care: policy into practice. Routledge.

Pilkington, F. B., Daiski, I., Lines, E., Bryant, T., Raphael, D., Dinca-Panaitescu, M., & Dinca- Panaitescu, S. (2011). Type 2 diabetes in vulnerable populations: Community healthcare providers’ perspectives on health service needs and policy implications. Canadian journal of diabetes, 35(5), 503-511.