The diabetic care management division at Mercy Medical, a well renown clinic in Minnesota, is in need of extensive improvements to meet the National benchmarks. By implementing the diabetes self-management program, through policy change, this facility will be able to lower HgbA1c levels at the facility thus improving the healthcare provided at the facility.
Need for Policy and Guidelines
According to the 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report, 34.1 million people in the United States have some form of diabetes, 26.8 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, and 7.3 million have diabetes, but they don’t know (Albarrak et al., 2018). Prediabetes affects about 88 million people worldwide. These figures indicate that diabetes treatment should be provided in the medical facility and emergency department and should exceed the benchmark set by the Medical Research Quality Agency. By creating a self-managed diabetes care program, one will not only have information on what diabetes means in their daily life, but also acquire the skills to manage diabetes.
Self-Managed Care Policy Guidelines
Statement
Diabetes is the sixth biggest cause of mortality in the United States (Albarrak et al., 2018). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there will be a huge rise in the number of people by 2020. Diabetes affects about 34 million individuals, and medical costs for diabetes are twice as expensive as for non-diabetics. Each year, the overall anticipated cost of diabetic care, including direct and indirect costs (loss of work, for example), surpasses $327 billion. While these figures are frightening, many diabetic patients may live long, diabetic lives if they were given comprehensive diabetes education and care. The policy and guidelines are centered on patients, and they are intended to monitor people in monitoring their diabetes with the supervision and assistance of their medical group.
Scope
This policy will cover nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and nutritionists. Each of these persons’ skills may enable patients to appropriately self-managing their Diabetes.
Guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) assists national, state, and local health organizations in a variety of responsibilities to help manage diabetes care and initiate or prevent the progression of type II diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Currently, the CDC DDT is funding three projects: DP18-1815, DP18-1817, and DP17-1705. The DP18-1815 uses a Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) Program to address diabetes prevention and management. The CDC’s DSMES toolbox is a comprehensive resource for people with diabetes who wish to feel more confident about managing their illness and obtain the help and education they need (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). A competent DSMES may help patients and medical centers manage the cost of diabetes care while also improving patients’ health by allowing them to make educated choices about their care and way of life.
The DSMES is basically a retreat offered by the CDC to assist patients in taking responsibility for their diabetic care. According to the CDC, medical organizations are also urged to join the American Diabetes Association. The American Diabetes Association offers patients resources and funding to help them choose a plan that they can follow and effectively adapt to their lifestyle.
The Role of Physicians
Physicians are at the forefront of preparing their patients for diabetes self-management. They help ensure that patients get the required education and assistance when utilizing their medical groups. When their patient needs aid in achieving their goals, or if complications in their care emerge, the physician is prepared to begin diagnosis. They frequently communicate with the nurse to ensure the success of their patient.
The Role of Nurses
Nurses are the ones who are eye to eye with the patients and, in some ways, on the cutting edge of supporting diabetic patients in self-managing their care. Diabetic Management Nurses work alongside physicians and other medical professionals to educate diabetic patients. They educate patients on how to use blood glucose meters and inject insulin, tell the difference between high and low blood sugar levels, and manage either if it becomes hazardous. Patients are also educated on how to inspect their feet and when to seek medical attention. They also work with patients and a diabetes nutritionist to promote healthy eating habits and stress the necessity of having a better overall presence (Malcolm et al., 2018).
The Role of Pharmacists
Pharmacists are the most extroverted members of the healthcare community. Consequently, they are often the first individuals patients contact when they have diabetic issues or need management on the best method to manage their diabetes (Dyson et al., 2018). Pharmacists have a unique ability to help patients determine the appropriate diabetes management plan for them and offer counseling and a healthy diet and activity program. They are the ones who are knowledgeable about the various treatment options and can help patients choose a new drug if the one they are on isn’t working.
Environmental Factors
Patients must actively participate and play a role in their care for an autonomous diabetes program to flourish. Patients should be encouraged to acquire health information and manage their at-home care and return to annual foot and eye exams and a half-yearly HgbA1c blood test (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Diabetes patients who are adequately treated and controlled may expect to live a long life. Even though it seems simple, patients may not have the financial resources to return to the fundamental arrangements that create the foundation for them. This is where insurance, Medicare, and government funding may come in handy. Most insurance companies and Medicare will cover up to ten hours of training in the first year after a patient is diagnosed; if they do not qualify, they will have to pay for it out of pocket. As a consequence, DSMES groups must establish control over a wide range of financial decisions impacting their patients.
Stakeholder Involvement in Implementing Proposed Strategies
Mercy Medical Center stakeholders are critical to the implementation of the diabetes self-management program. Members of the community, as well as Mercy Medical’s physicians, nurses, and regulatory academics from a variety of backgrounds are among the stakeholders. They may use their expertise and abilities to develop and implement new projects and policies. Stakeholders may help with the policy’s plan and implementation by implementing it and providing a good example for others to follow. When it comes to receiving government funding, various stakeholders may have varied talents. They could be able to help design policies that enable Mercy medicals to get and use previously inaccessible money to construct a diabetes self-management program. If persuading community members to join or patients to be motivated by their own health care is a challenge, a stakeholder with strong links to the community is a good individual to bring in the community and build more community engagement and enthusiasm for the program.
Conclusion
The current healthcare system in the United States is not well adapted to long-term diabetes care management (Albarrak et al., 2018). By implementing a policy and a diabetic self-management program, Mercy Medical may be a pioneer in delivering long-term care to diabetic patients. This will not only provide their patients more confidence in their medical care, but it will also result in more frequent HgbA1c semiannual testing and an increase in yearly foot and eye exam numbers, both of which are essential for Mercy Medical to meet national benchmark esteems.
References
Agency For Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). National Diabetes Quality Measures Compared to Achievable Benchmarks. https://nhqrnet.ahrq.gov/inhqrdr/National/benchmark/summary/Diseases_and_Conditions /Diabetes
Albarrak, A. I., Mohammed, R., Assery, B., Allam, D., Al Morit, S., Al Saleh, R., & Zare’a, R. (2018). Evaluation of diabetes care management in primary clinics based on the guidelines of American Diabetes Association. International journal of health sciences, 12(1), 40.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, August 10). Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) Toolkit. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/dsmestoolkit/index.html
Dyson, P. A., Twenefour, D., Breen, C., Duncan, A., Elvin, E., Goff, L., … & Watson, K. (2018). Diabetes evidence‐based nutrition guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes. Diabetic medicine, 35(5), 541-547.
Malcolm, J., Halperin, I., Miller, D. B., Moore, S., Nerenberg, K. A., Woo, V., & Catherine, H. Y. (2018). In-hospital management of diabetes. Canadian journal of diabetes, 42, S115-S123.
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