A physician, Dr Harazumi Bello, has emphasised the need for special training for nurses caring for people living with diabetes.
Bello said this would improve patients’ care and nurses’ assigned responsibilities.
Bello, a physician at the National Hospital, Abuja, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.
Bello said people living with diabetes face a number of challenges, and education was vital to equip nurses with the skills to support patients.
“They can make tremendous difference in improving the care of diabetic patients with resultant reduction in complications including deaths.
He also suggested that “It will be good to provide scholarship and sponsorship for their specialised training.”
According to him, the roles and responsibilities of the nursing team relating to diabetes care include: prevention advice, using behaviour change and health coaching techniques.
He said “Screening, prevention and early detection of type 2 diabetes, promoting self-care and awareness of how mental health issues can affect people with diabetes.
“Assessing and meeting the patient’s nutritional needs, urine monitoring, blood glucose monitoring, oral therapies, injectable therapies and identifying and treating hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level), Identifying and treating hyperglycaemia( high blood sugar level)’’
Bello also called on the World Health Organisation (WHO), Federal Government, state government, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) and stakeholders to support people living with diabetes.
He said the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) suggested four recommendations to prevent diabetes locally, regionally and globally
“Supporting accurate diabetes estimates by promoting high-quality research on diabetes epidemiology; prioritising diabetes care and control by improving primary care and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration.
“Third is implementing national diabetes plans and programmes, and reducing diabetes and its complications by extending health promotion.
“This will go a long way in reducing deaths from diabetes and its other complications if the government at all levels will implement the above recommendations.” (NAN)
