Original scientific paper
NURSING EVALUATION OF DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT IN TERTIARY HEALTHCARE SETTINGS IN CROATIA
Vilma Kolarić
; Merkur Teaching Hospital, Vuk Vrhovac University Clinic for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia
Dea Ajduković
; Merkur Teaching Hospital, Vuk Vrhovac University Clinic for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia
Aleksandar Racz
; University of Applied Health Studies Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Background: Systematic and efficient education on patient self-management behaviour represents one of the key approaches to
diabetes treatment. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the current process and content of nursing assessment of illness selfmanagement
behaviour in persons with diabetes treated at a tertiary healthcare facility.
Subjects and methods: Electronic patient records of N=15,116 persons with type 2 diabetes (51.3% men) who took part in
nursing evaluation and education throughout 2011 were collected. The patients’ mean age was 65.0±11.1 years, with mean diabetes
duration of 12.6±8.3 years; they were mostly treated with oral anti-diabetic drugs (38.4%) or insulin therapy (38.5%). The likelihood
of non-participation in the nursing evaluation was predicted based on a number of patient characteristics using a multivariate
logistic regression.
Results: The nurses mostly rated the patients’ self-management knowledge and real-life application of that knowledge as appropriate;
however, in a large number of patients, the nursing evaluation was not evidenced in the electronic patient record. Multivariate
logistic regression revealed that longer diabetes duration, insulin treatment and better glyceamic control as measured by glycated
haemoglobin were associated with a higher likelihood of participating in a nursing evaluation and diabetes re-education.
Conclusion: Diabetes specialist nurses may use informal criteria when deciding which type 2 diabetes patients to interview
about diabetes knowledge and self-care. Participative research on the processes of nurses’ decision-making may be needed.
Keywords
diabetes mellitus; type 2; patient education as topic; self-care
Hrčak ID:
265287
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2014.
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