Health Promotion Essay

Introduction

The focus of this paper will be the role of nursing in health promotion and the education of patients with diabetes to reduce risks and improve individual health. Nurses are equipped to identify the risk factors, needs for disease management, recognize interventions, inform about proper nutrition, all with the primary goal to delay the effects of the disease process. The following paragraphs will outline and provide examples of the role of the nurse in promoting health and the management of the diabetes disease process.

The role of nurse in health promotion and disease management is very important. Originally the main strategies of the nurse are to provide education and changing the behavior of the patient related to their health.

The role of nurse not only about education it is also a collaborative of care between discipline, making sure patient follow the treatment , education and consoling. Research showed that the most method use by nurse for health promotion is education. In addition nursing role is to provide plan, intervention and provide evaluation of the health promotion intervention. The Healthy People 2020 and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has employed an intensive effort to reduce complication from the disease process by providing education in the community, physician office and school. (RN Journal, 2012). In addition the role of nurse is to be advocate for patients, delivery of services for example, flu shot, and education. Also the nurse plays a major role in research to improve the quality of care, optimal health and evidence base practice (Foundation of Health promotion, 2014).
Discussion of subject
This paper will be focusing on diabetes, complication, management, education and complication of unmanaged diabetes including peripheral neuropathy.

Research showing that the increase in age the higher the rate of diabetes type2, according to this article research in urban “In a selective urban sample, prevalence, rates of type 2 diabetes increased with age from 2.5% to 17.2% in men 35–75 years old.2 Similar tendencies are observed in most developed countries”( European Diabetes Nursing,2011). Older adult have some metabolic changes with diabetes type 2 that put them at higher risk for urinary incontinent, fall, cognitive issue and dementia.in addition elderly people with diabetes type 2 have high risk for admission to hospitals and nursing home. Elderly with diabetes type 2 has at least 5 or more medications that prescribed and patient may end up not taking the correct dosage of his medication either taking more or less, will increase the hospitalization rate. The role of nurse is crucial to improve the care for patient to provide better outcome. Education on diabetes in older adult is essential to provide teaching to reduce complication. Nurse will assess, monitor educated elderly on the proper use of insulin, medication, how to check blood sugar and diabetes foot care. They conducted researches from some of the nurses about the challenges that they faces with teaching the elderly about diabetes including “Misunderstandings about disease, treatments and poor health

literacy are common in the older population and affect the outcomes of diabetes care”(European Diabetes Nursing,2011). Some of the important strategies to teach and elderly with diabetes including reinforcement of teaching, make sure the patient is involved in the care, and motivation to understand the diabetes disease process.in addition encouraging patient to remain active and exercise regularly to better management and reduce complication. According to the healthy people 2020 that there is multiple health issues in related to diabetes that include impaired quality of life and is very expensive disease to treat. Research showed “estimates of the total attributable costs of diabetes are around $100 billion ($43 billion direct; $45 billion indirect).8, 9 Hospitalizations for diabetes-associated cardiovascular disease account for the largest component” (Healthy People 2020, 2010). In the next paragraph the focus will be about diabetes neuropathy.
Diabetes neuropathy is the most related complication related to diabetes, that also lead to amputation in most cases.

Diabetes neuropathy increase with the increase in age, clinical examination from the nurse and physical is crucial for early detection for better outcome. It is very important for the patient to be aware that the peripheral neuropathy is caused by the diabetes not other health issues. The most important symptoms that the nurse should be educating her patient including: pin and needles in feet, numbness, and unmanaged blood sugar. In addition nurses has an important role on teaching the patient on the principal of foot care, proper shoes, protect feet from heat and cold, makes sure patient has podiatric care, and report any skin breakdown to primary care physician or nurse in charge; Some of the complication that occur of unmanaged peripheral neuropathy including wound, and amputations (British Journal of Community Nursing, 2012). For better outcome prevention of disease progression is very important to better outcome, it discussed in depth in the next

section
Levels of prevention
Prevention of disease progression is very important for better outcomes. There is three level of prevention including primary prevention, secondary and tertiary. For the primary prevention including therapeutic treatment, patient behavior toward disease process and teaching on risk factors ; for the patient with diabetes the focus in this prevention will be education on diabetes management including foot care inspection , how often to check blood sugar, and insulin injection. Also education on risk factors including diabetic foot ulcer related to unmanaged blood sugar, kidney disease. Secondary prevention will be the screening process that will include screening for kidney damage, peripheral neuropathy. The nurse should explain the procedure of screening for patient and they need to be done prior to screening. Tertiary prevention in this level the focus is to reduce the effect of disease and complication. The role for nurse is to educate patient with diabetes on resources available such as podiatrist that can come to the home if patient a the patient is homebound, teaching on life style such as education on nutrition , calories count, sign and symptoms of complication of diabetes.
Conclusion
Health promotion and disease management is very important and nurses play major role in promoting healthy living and education for better outcome. Diabetes is on the rise and education to reduce complication of the disease process is crucial. Education for diabetic patient is very important to reduce the complication and prevent recurrent hospital stay.