As a highly valued member of the community, nurses do outstanding work to support people living with a wide range of health concerns. People who either live with diabetes or are at risk of developing the condition need their support too.

The theme of World Diabetes Day 2020 is The Nurse and Diabetes. The campaign aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

• Nurses account for 59% of health professionals
• The global nursing workforce is 27.9 million, of which 19.3 million are professional nurses and more than half of that are working in the clinical setting.
• The global shortage of nurses in 2018 was 5.9 million. 89% of that shortage is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.
• The number of nurses trained and employed needs to grow by 8% a year to overcome alarming shortfalls in the profession by 2030.

WHO estimates that the total investment required to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets by 2030 stand at 3.9 trillion USD – 40% of which should be dedicated to remunerating the health workforce. Investing in the health workforce also has the capacity to impact other SDGs on eradicating poverty, ensuring inclusive and equitable education, achieving gender equality through the employment and empowerment of women, and promoting decent work and sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

People living with diabetes face a number of challenges, and education is vital to equip nurses with the skills to support them. IDF wants to facilitate opportunities for nurses to learn more about the condition and receive training so that they can make a difference for people with diabetes

According to International Diabetes Federation:

• 463 million adults (1-in-11) were living with diabetes in 2019
• The number of people living with diabetes is expected to rise to 578 million by 2030
• 1 in 2 adults with diabetes remains undiagnosed (232 million). The majority have type 2 diabetes.
• More than 3 in 4 people with diabetes live in low and middle-income countries
• 1 in 6 live births (20 million) are affected by high blood glucose (hyperglycemia) in pregnancy
• Two-thirds of people with diabetes live in urban areas and three-quarters are of working age
• 1 in 5 people with diabetes (136 million) are above 65 years old
• Diabetes caused 4.2 million deaths in 2019
• Diabetes was responsible for at least $760 billion in health expenditure in 2019 – 10% of the global total spent on healthcare
• Depending on the global region, up to 50% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 were living with diabetes.

Nurses: Make the difference for diabetes

As a highly valued member of the community, nurses do outstanding work to support people living with a wide range of health concerns. People who either live with diabetes or are at risk of developing the condition need their support the most. as the number of people with diabetes continues to rise across the world, the role of nurses and other health professional support staff is becoming increasingly important in managing the impact of the condition. nurses are often the first and sometimes only health professionals that a person interacts with and so the quality of their initial assessment, care, and treatment is vital. nurses play a key role in:

1. Diagnosing diabetes early to ensure prompt treatment

2. Providing self-management training and psychological support for people with diabetes to help prevent complications

3. Tackling the risk factors for type 2 diabetes to help prevent the condition.

And without their support, people with diabetes can find it difficult to manage their condition.  Placing them at risk of life-changing complications. There remains a significant need for more education and funding to equip nurses around the world with the skills to support people living with diabetes and those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Nurses are vital in fight against diabetes. They play a crucial role in making people with diabetes understand and manage their conditions well. It’s time to prioritize nurses in the fight against diabetes.

Healthcare providers and governments must therefore recognize the importance of investing in education and training. With the right expertise, nurses can make a difference for people affected by diabetes.

To learn more about the world diabetes day campaign, kindly visit the IDF official campaign website

To know the impact of nurses on diabetes self-management and education visit us at amcec.net