Patient Education and Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic and progressive disease that leads patients affected to seek the help of medical professionals throughout various stages and time frames. From surgery to patient education to physical therapy, diabetes treatment can be a daunting task that may require complex, multi-faceted effort. Such effort can lead to sever disparities in treatment and in prevalence of the disease.

For example, if patient education is at the forefront of chronic disease management and prevention, then it stands to ask if patient education or lack thereof, is creating the kinds of health disparities seen in diabetes. The patients receiving the information on diabetes and lifestyle choices to prevent diabetes, may reduce their chances of developing diabetes versus those that do not receive the information.

What kinds of health disparities arise in diabetes as a result of lack of access to information? Lack of access to information can occur for several reasons. As a physician or a nurse, one must educate the patient on the choices he or she has for treatment and help them along in recovery due to diabetes-related complications. They must also educate patients in prevention.

Should they not educate the patient in a way that provides the patient with a better understanding of their situation, this could lead to ineffective patient care. Certain factors can play a role in effective patient care. What is most often researched in that area is race and income. Race and income disparities play a large role in diabetes. Race and income means limited access to care based on location and potential cultural lifestyle choices.

Researchers studying racial and income disparities in diabetes stated there was a higher prevalence of developing diabetes as a black person versus a white person. We found a race -- poverty -- place gradient for diabetes prevalence for Blacks and poor Whites. The odds of having diabetes were higher for Blacks than for Whites. Individual poverty increased the odds of having diabetes for both Whites and Blacks. Living in a poor neighborhood increased the odds of having diabetes for Blacks and poor Whites (Gaskin et al., 2014, p. 2147).

Furthermore, those living in impoverished areas were more prone to develop diabetes. What does this information suggest? People from impoverished backgrounds may not have access to recreational activities and high quality food that would lend to a healthier lifestyle. Black people from a cultural standpoint may eat foods that may lead to a higher prevalence in developing diabetes. Such information may provide a direction in which to understand the areas in healthcare to improve to remove such disparities and get appropriate services to the populations most affected.

While race and income play a role in health disparities, other aspects of a person's identity can play a role such as disability. One article describing health disparities among individuals with diabetes noted adults possessing developmental and intellectual disabilities developed diabetes at a higher rate versus those not having such disabilities. "Disparities in prevalence were most notable among women, younger adults and those residing in rural or high income neighbourhoods.

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at high risk of developing and being hospitalized for diabetes" (Balogh, Lake, Lin, Wilton, & Lunsky, 2014, p. 235). If people with intellectual and developmental disabilities appear to develop diabetes at a higher rate than those without disability, there must be something wrong in how they manage their health. In order to understand what can be done to reduce disparities one concept to consider is patient autonomy.

"Patient autonomy is a gradual, time-changing process of (re-)constructing autonomy through the interplay of to be seen as a person, the capacity to act and the obligation to take responsibility for one's actions" (Lindberg, Fagerstrom, Sivberg, & Willman, 2014, p. 2208). Patients are vulnerable to lack of treatment or progression in recovery due to an impairment of a one's mental/physical state. If this key issue can be resolved through patient education, increased patient advocacy, and potential health proxies, problems arising from disparities could be alleviated, especially for those with disabilities.

Patient education while a common means of delivering patient care, is often done in a way that leaves the patient confused. If the patient has a developmental or intellectual disability, patient education may be more difficult to accomplish. This is why policies must be changed in order to suit the needs of the population that requires the greatest assistance in relation to medical care, and chronic disease management. Where the most change must occur is in legislation, specifically, policy.

"As a result of a gap in provincial legislation, healthcare providers usually determine the appropriate placement destination without a clear framework to guide the process and this can cause significant moral distress" (Abdool et al., 2016, p. 1). This short snipped from a 2016 article noted the lack legal framework to provide the kind of quality healthcare patients require. Diabetes is an ongoing, and often progressive disease that affects the daily life of patients affected.

Legislation must be passed that provides the framework for effective implementation of rules, services, and referrals that allow a patient with a chronic illness like diabetes, to receive the care and attention he or she deserves regardless of location, age, disability, gender, or income level. In conclusion, diabetes is a chronic disease that requires effort from various areas in healthcare. Although.