Technology in Diabetes Management for Long-Term Care Facilities
This paper examines the use of health information technology to improve diabetes management in long-term care facilities. It begins by reviewing the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes among adults over 65, noting that current manual and basic electronic systems fail to support evidence-based caregiving. The paper then describes the specific challenges caregivers face, including poor access to comprehensive patient histories and limited cross-referencing of best practices. As a solution, it proposes a computerized diabetes information technology system that links patients to dedicated caregivers, streamlines access to clinical data, and automatically surfaces evidence-based treatment protocols relevant to each patient's condition.
- Introduction: Diabetes prevalence in long-term care and study aim
- Literature Review: Rising type 2 diabetes rates among elderly Americans
- Case Description: Failures of current manual and electronic record systems
- Technological Solution: Proposed diabetes IT system linking patients to caregivers
- Conclusion: Technology needed for evidence-based diabetic long-term care
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper follows a clear problem-solution structure, moving logically from epidemiological context to a specific technological recommendation.
- It grounds its claims in published research, citing peer-reviewed sources from the American Diabetes Association and nursing journals to support its arguments.
- The case description concretely identifies the weaknesses of current systems before introducing the proposed solution, giving the argument a strong comparative foundation.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied literature synthesis: it draws on epidemiological data and clinical guidelines from the literature review to build the rationale for a technology intervention, rather than simply describing technology in the abstract. This technique—using prior research to justify a proposed solution—is a fundamental skill in health informatics and nursing informatics writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into five sections: an introduction establishing the population and problem, a literature review surveying diabetes prevalence and the role of health IT, a case description identifying specific system failures, a technological solution section proposing a dedicated diabetes IT platform, and a brief conclusion reinforcing the need for evidence-based approaches. Each section builds directly on the previous one.
Introduction
Long-term care facilities most often serve the aging population in society. This group of people has a weakened immune system that predisposes them to various diseases. Diabetes is prevalent among the aging population, which frequently leads to their commitment to long-term care. The complexity of treatment and care for diabetic patients is often compounded by comorbidity, a common characteristic of such patients (Munshi et al., 2016). Aging populations in long-term facilities carry a higher risk of developing hypoglycemia, and this must therefore be a factor when setting glycemic goals. This study proposes a computerized diabetes management system that captures all clinical information and translates it into clinical action. The data generated can be used to improve diabetes care and clinical outcomes among patients in long-term care facilities.
Literature Review
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased substantially in America in recent years. Research has focused on the elderly as the most affected group. Notably, it was found that people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes above the age of 65 were six times more numerous than those affected among the population aged below 24 years. Multiple studies have indicated that diabetes in long-term care facilities ranges between 25% and 34% (Munshi et al., 2016). The rising prevalence of diabetes among the elderly poses a significant economic burden on the economy, as considerable resources are channeled toward treatment of this population. Further research has attributed this prevalence to physiological changes related to aging, such as sarcopenia, increased abdominal fat, and low-grade inflammation (Munshi et al., 2016).
The challenge when caring for diabetic patients in long-term care facilities relates to the failure to apply evidence-based management guidelines throughout the entire care process (Dunning et al., 2012). It is therefore important to overhaul the whole system of care delivery for diabetic patients in long-term care facilities. Health information technology has been widely used across clinical and caregiving processes to enhance efficiency and reduce errors. Electronic medical records are a strong example of such health information systems and have been widely embraced throughout the American healthcare system (Dunning et al., 2013). There is accordingly a need for a healthcare information system configured to the specific needs of diabetic patients in long-term care facilities — one that ensures caregivers adhere strictly to evidence-based practices and provide the appropriate care to elderly patients living with diabetes.
Case Description
Patients in long-term care facilities undergo significant physiological changes that predispose them to numerous health complications. Over time, additional complications emerge, which further complicates caregiving and diabetes management for this population. In a manual system of managing patient records, information is stored in physical files, which can be cumbersome to access. Each patient's health records are kept in a separate manual file, and this arrangement is associated with two key challenges that undermine the efficiency of quality service delivery to diabetic patients in long-term care facilities.
First, the manual system allows any available physician to attend to a patient; however, that physician may not fully understand the patient's health history or existing complications because of the effort required to conduct thorough manual checks (Dunning et al., 2012). Second, it limits the application of evidence-based practices in caregiving by reducing the ease of cross-comparing various successful care models. The electronic health management systems currently embraced in these facilities are largely elementary and are mostly limited to employee identification and basic clinical records. They therefore do not offer a solution capable of promoting the use of evidence-based practices in the management of diabetic patients in long-term care facilities.
Conclusion
Diabetic patients in long-term healthcare facilities require a unique type of care because of their distinct health and physiological status. The current manual and basic automated systems have not adequately addressed the healthcare needs of such patients. Their primary limitation is the failure to promote evidence-based practice, making them less effective than they could be. The technological solution proposed in this study would be effective and comprehensive in helping caregivers employ evidence-based practices in the care of diabetic patients in long-term care facilities.
References
Dunning, T., Duggan, N., Savage, S., & Martin, P. (2013). Diabetes and end of life: Ethical and methodological issues in gathering evidence to guide care. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 27(1), 203–211.
Dunning, T., Savage, S., Duggan, N., & Martin, P. (2012). Developing clinical guidelines for end-of-life care: Blending evidence and consensus. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 18(8), 397–405.
Munshi, M. N., Florez, H., Huang, E. S., Kalyani, R. R., Mupanomunda, M., Pandya, N., & Haas, L. B. (2016). Management of diabetes in long-term care and skilled nursing facilities: A position statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care, 39(2), 308–318.
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