Diabetes is a chronic illness characterized by a deficiency in insulin secretion, resulting in long-term organ complications. The prevalence of diabetes has increased in the current decade, and globally it’s estimated to grow to 592 million people by 2035, resulting in increased health care utilization (Macdonald et al. 2017). The lasting disorder is caused by an increased blood sugar in the blood resulting from the pancreas being unable to produce insulin to regulate glucose circulation. Devastating macrovascular and microvascular complications such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, neuropathy leads to high mortality and decreased quality of life in individuals with diabetes. The cost of managing diabetes is high; thus, optimizing management reduces healthcare expenses and improves patients outcome (Macdonald et al. 2017). Lifelong maintenance of diabetes is necessary to avoid complications and involves patients taking daily decisions to regulate their blood sugars.
New communications and technology support diabetic patients in overcoming barriers to managing their condition and changing health behavior. The health care system is shifting from educating consumers about health issues to a consumer-based model where the consumers educate themselves (Ramsey et al. 2017). The availability of internet sources on health information has increased the demand for online health information. There is a need for diabetes to be managed using health information technology to provide guidelines, treatment options, and patients safety (Ayanlade et al. 2019). This information reduces deaths caused by the disease, enhancing the quality delivery of services in healthcare facilities. Appropriate consumer resources encourage individuals to actively take care of their health while contributing to an improved number of health literate individuals.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) website is an example of a consumer-based information system that provides current clinical recommendations. The website provides the components of diabetes care, treatment guidelines and goals, and tools to evaluate the quality of care. The website provides information on diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the complications associated with diabetes, and their management. Type 1 diabetes is caused by the body not producing enough insulin and is treated by administering insulin injections to the body and maintaining a healthy lifestyle (American Diabetes Association, 2022). Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body not using insulin properly, and individuals may require medication or insulin to manage the condition (American Diabetes Association, 2022). The site also states that healthy eating and exercise can also control blood sugars.
The website is easy to navigate as the menu items are easily accessible from any page. Individuals can navigate from diabetes to healthy living simply as the site is easy to navigate. Information on the site is visible and direct to the point thus, and most people can find health-related information easily. The website’s overall look is professionally done, with the users at the core of their navigability within site. The website is sponsored by many corporate institutions such as Dr.Comfort, whose main aim is to help people living with diabetes. In partnership with American Diabetes Association, Dr. Comfort offer personalized, actionable foot care resources to prevent the progression of foot complications for people living with diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2022). Other sponsors within the website include Catherines, Primal, Cintas, and Splenda. Additionally, the ADA updates its site annually, ensuring new scientific evidence on diabetes and clinical trials resources are available to diabetic people. The site mainly targets people living with diabetes by offering treatment options and how to manage the condition.
The ADA is known to provide credible information to its users by providing new scientific evidence in diabetes and clinical trials. The association conducts its research on diabetes, management, and treatment options. Information on the website is annually updated or when warranted, which makes the consumers feel secure in the information provided (American Diabetes Association, 2019). It links other sites such as insulin help that provide instant insulin to people in need and provides a mobile number to reach the manufacturer (American Diabetes Association, 2022). The website also links individuals with medical devices that could be used to manage diabetes. The information portrayed on the ADA website is correct, leaving no room for error or omissions.
ADA provides consumer patient education as the site provide resources that individual with the chronic disease can use to manage their condition. Consumer patient education is based on knowing what consumers need information about and providing the information that suits consumers’ needs (Ramsey et al. 2017). ADA provides health information to diabetic patients through researched evidence-based information, which helps individuals manage their care. All the information is available on one site, and an individual doesn’t have to look for other information on a different site. When it comes to knowing about complications of diabetes, the site provides all the information necessary from the symptoms, its prevention, treatment of the disease, and how to slow the progression of the disease. All this information is necessary to consumers to improve their quality of care and be health literate to prevent severe illness outcomes.
Information motivates human behavior, and with consumer center information, management of diabetes has been enhanced. ADA provides diabetic individuals with management care that are centered towards their needs. ADA provides nutritional care for people living with diabetes to control their blood sugars (American Diabetes Association, 2022). Nutritional care is a consumer patient education encouraging healthy living for diabetic people. On the other hand, ADA provides the benefit of fitness in managing diabetes. Exercising helps cells become sensitive to insulin-regulating blood sugars. This health information promotes consumers’ health by promoting the management of their conditions.
ADA website is intended to educate its consumers on the management of diabetes. It creates awareness of diabetes without seeing a doctor or visiting a healthcare facility. The website ADA meets its purpose of educating the public about diabetes using well-researched information that can be backed up. The information on diabetes on the website is just right for anyone who has never read about diabetes or someone who is struggling to deal with the chronic illness.
In conclusion, access to information has increased with advances in technology, leading to a growing need for health information. Consumer patient education has revolutionized the management of diseases as individuals can educate themselves on managing diseases. Diabetes is a lifelong chronic illness that requires management of the condition to avoid complications. ADA provides education on diabetes and its management for individuals who have diabetes. There is a growing need for technology in providing resources for the management of care that the healthcare system should incorporate.
References
American Diabetes Association. (2019). 2. Classification and diagnosis of diabetes: standards of medical care in diabetes—2019. Diabetes care, 42(Supplement_1), S13-S28.
American Diabetes Association. Diabetes (Accessed March 2022). https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes
Ayanlade, O. S., Oyebisi, T. O., & Kolawole, B. A. (2019). Health information technology acceptance framework for Diabetes management. Heliyon, 5(5), e01735.
Macdonald, Emma M; Perrin, Byron M; Kingsley, Michael IC (2017). Enablers and barriers to using two-way information technology in the management of adults with diabetes: A descriptive systematic review. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, (), 1357633X1769999–. doi:10.1177/1357633×17699990
Ramsey, Imogen; Corsini, Nadia; Peters, Micah D.J.; Eckert, Marion (2017). A rapid review of consumer health information needs and preferences. Patient Education and Counseling, (), S0738399117302380–. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2017.04.005
write