Despite numerous attempts to locate the cure for diabetes, the disease remains to be the primary health concern in the 21st century. Moreover, the subject matter has been affecting an increasingly large number of people. According to the latest data on the development of diabetes, the rates thereof have risen by 291% since 1980 (from 108 million patients to 422, according to the WHO (World Health Organization, 2014) global statistics). Therefore, the program designed as a part of the Healthy People 2020 initiative and aimed at addressing the lack of awareness on the subject matter is an admittedly essential step in managing the current diabetes-related concerns.
The program focuses primarily on providing the target audience with information on the disorder, including the factors that cause it, the means of identifying it, and the strategies that help manage the disorder. The webinar addresses specifically the issue of self-management as an essential tool in handling diabetes.
In addition, the seminar provides essential information concerning the development of the disorder, pointing especially to the data that allows detecting the members of the population that are under a consistent threat. According to the data provided by the Healthy People 2020, these are the urban dwellers that should be especially concerned; however, the correlation between the number of people with diabetes living in the urban and suburban areas has dropped to a considerable extent (Empowering people to manage their diabetes, 2014).
Implications
Among the essential outcomes of the seminar, the importance of spreading awareness about diabetes, its symptoms, the factors that induce it, and the tools that can help prevent it, must be listed. Seeing that an increasingly large number of people has been developing the disorder since the 80s, there is an evident need for carrying out the process of raising awareness among the members of local communities. As soon as ARNs start providing patients with the essential instructions on the issue of diabetes, the mortality rates among the people suffering from the disorder are likely to drop. Moreover, the possibility for addressing the issue successfully and, perhaps, even locating the cure for it, may be designed in the future (Empowering people to manage their diabetes, 2014).
Role of an APN
In the context of the information provided by the organization, the role of an APN has been expanded from providing the related services (i.e., the shots and the corresponding assistance) to the provider of essential information and the person in charge of making this information available to all those concerned. Although the process of data transfer has become very fast in the 21st century, a range of people still lack guidance on the means of preventing, diagnosing, and treating diabetes. The Healthy People 2020 initiative, in its turn, provides extensive instructions for nurses to educate people on how they can manage their current state (Colvin et al., 2014).
Although the role of an educator should not be viewed as something entirely new and alien to an APN, it still requires sufficient skills. Therefore, the program serves as the tool for empowering nurses to take the above responsibility and teach people to be independent in managing their disorder. While the assistance of the corresponding healthcare experts is essential, a nurse must make sure that the patients are capable of managing basic tasks related to their disorder.
Reference List
Colvin, L., Cartwright, A., Collop, N., Freedman, N., McLeod, D.,. Weaver, T. E., & Rogers, A. E. (2014). Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants in sleep centers and clinics: A survey of current roles and educational background. JCSM, 10(5), 581-587.
Empowering people to manage their diabetes. (2014). Web.
World Health Organization. (2014). Diabetes. Web.