The nursing team at St. Peters Hospital faces the problem of non-compliance in diabetic patients in the acute setting for extended days. It is quite a busy hospital, and all nurses have a high workload and must take care of about 20 patients. The high workload on staff has reduced the time nurses can devote to each patient. Consequently, all patients with diabetes were treated according to the same plan without considering their socioeconomic characteristics. In addition, the high workload of nurses has reduced the time for educating patients with diabetes, so many do not fully understand the features of their disease and the necessity of proper treatment. All this has led to non-compliance by patients and their stay in the acute setting for a long time.
Solving this problem and reducing extended days requires the involvement of a team of nurses and a registered nurse who oversees all other nurses. In addition, the involvement of the patients and their families is mandatory since self-care is of great importance in managing diabetes. Furthermore, it is necessary to involve specific organizations for patients requiring financial assistance for treatment and mental health professionals for those whose non-compliance is caused by mental disorders.
There will be a series of meetings for patients and their families to educate them about diabetes. At these meetings, a registered nurse will provide the necessary information about taking medications, controlling blood sugar, signs of changes in blood sugar levels, and what to do in such situations. Moreover, meeting other people with diabetes and sharing their experiences can be an additional motivation for adherence to treatment recommendations.
Furthermore, a nursing action plan for diabetic patients should be developed and implemented depending on their additional medical characteristics and financial capabilities. It is necessary to consider the presence of mental illness or eating disorders in patients, which can worsen the condition of diabetes. In addition, nurses should be able to advise patients on various treatment options. It includes providing the patient with several options for managing diabetes that differ in cost and informing patients about the features of each option. Thus, patients will be able to independently choose the treatment that will be most affordable for them.
Nurses can further educate patients about additional actions they can take to manage diabetes, including physical activity and a balanced diet. An indicator of the actions’ success will be an increase in patients’ knowledge and awareness about diabetes and its treatment possibilities. It will help raise patients’ self-care level, which is critical in diabetes. As a result, fewer patients will stay in the acute setting for extended days, and the burden on medical staff will decrease.