According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization, global diabetes prevalence among adults had risen from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. The double-fold rise represented an increase from 108 million to 422 million diagnoses within the same period. Further, the report affirms that diabetes was responsible for about 1.6 million deaths in 2016, while 2.2 million deaths in 2012 were a result of diabetes-related complications, such as high blood glucose level. Interestingly, the rise in diabetes prevalence is happening at a time when technology has enabled the achievement of greater possibilities in healthcare. This indicates that diabetes is a significant health concern that requires the development of interventions for mitigating its alarmingly rising prevalence. Herein, diabetes in adults is analyzed, citing the factors that contribute to its growing prevalence throughout the adult lifespan and interprofessional resources available for its management. This is in acknowledgment of the adversity of the situation and the apparent insufficiency of existing interventions in the management of the condition.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that arises from the inability of the pancreas to produce sufficient insulin or the body's inability to utilize produced insulin effectively. In itself, insulin is a hormone responsible for blood sugar regulation. Diabetes is a result of unregulated blood sugar, and when left unmanaged, it causes fatal damages to many physiological systems, especially in the nervous system and the blood circulation system. There are two major forms of diabetes: type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is insulin-dependent and occurs mainly in childhood. Type 2 diabetes is a result of the body's inability to effectively utilize available insulin. The majority of people with diabetes are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which is usually as a result of physical inactivity and excess body weight. The other common type of diabetes in an adult is gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy. It is associated with higher-than-normal glucose levels, which are usually lower than of diabetes diagnoses. For that reason, prenatal screening is used for gestational diabetes instead of reported symptoms. The major risks associated with diabetes are diabetic retinopathy, kidney failure, neuropathy, nephropathy, heart attacks, and strokes (World Health Organization, 2018). Notably, diabetes is responsible for 2.6% of global blindness. According to (), early diagnoses are central to effective treatment and management of diabetes. Diet management and physical activity are some of the interventions that have been applied to diabetes treatment. However, their efficacy is questioned by the rapid increase in diagnoses and deaths.
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Diabetes epidemiology, Influencing factors, and behaviors
A study by Xu et al. (2018) on the prevalence of diabetes among American adults identified that type 2 diabetes was profoundly prevalent in older adults, those with higher body mass indices, lower family incomes, and educational levels. The study also estimated that 91.2% of diagnosed diabetes in the US were type 2, while type 1 accounted for only 5.6%. Additionally, there are minimal variations in diabetes prevalence on gender lines, with male sex having a slight excess. However, the excess continues to grow as age increases (Xu et al., 2018). Early-onset diabetes in young (below 40 years) adults is associated with more prolonged exposure to the condition and heightened risks for terminal complications. Moreover, young patients are at a risk of developing complications prematurely, which has adverse implications on the quality of life they lead, as well as long-term treatment outcomes (Lascaret al., 2018). Growth in the number of young-onset diabetes is indicative of a health catastrophe in the future; hence, the need for the development of more effective interventions. Diabetes is most prevalent in middle and older adults owing to their high susceptibility to the major risk factors (sedentary lifestyles and obesity). Besides, the majority of patients undergoing chronic-disease management in American hospitals fall under the two age-groups.
Diabetes management is affected by a myriad of factors, such as socioeconomic status, culture, and spirituality. According to Toi et al. (2013), some of the socioeconomic factors associated with diabetes complications include educational level, job status, relationships with family members, reassurance from the family members, and the preferred types of leisure activities. Further, educational levels affect the understanding of diabetes and applied management strategies. Cultural factors include the perceptions and beliefs on weight loss, obesity, and diets (Darvyri et al., 2018). Such beliefs affect patient outcomes by influencing their adherence to self-management interventions such as diet regulation and weight management. As identified by Darvyri et al. (2018), religion and spirituality are often employed as coping mechanisms for diabetes patients and their families. The two play the role of psychological interventions, which empower the patients by promoting positive expectations, hope, self-confidence.
Available interprofessional resources
An interprofessional approach is necessary for the development of effective interventions for diabetes management due to its high prevalence and acuity. Besides, the focus on patient-centered care that is advocated for in today's healthcare sector promotes the application of interdisciplinary approaches in care delivery. Providing high-quality care to diabetes patients requires the involvement of nurse educators, leaders, practitioners, and physicians. One of the most effective and less costly diabetes management strategies is self-management. Once educated on important self-management aspects, patients can remotely manage their condition while sending feedback to their monitoring care providers. The application of an interprofessional approach can enhance the efficacy of this strategy. Collaboration between physicians, pharmacists, and nurses during diagnoses and prescriptions is paramount for the development of appropriate care plans (Szafran et al., 2019). Further, remote monitoring of the patients requires the inclusion of social workers to establish the link between the patient and hospitals. Dietitians and diabetes educators also play crucial roles in ensuring the patients are equipped with adequate information about their condition and its management. As identified by Gucciardi et al. (2016), effective communication, role clarification, and establishment of negotiating and practice places are essential components of interprofessional collaboration, which enhance the quality of care and patient care for diabetics. Telehealth systems are suitable communication and negotiating platforms for interprofessional care delivery to diabetes patients. Through telehealth platforms, collaborating professionals can effectively discuss care plans while monitoring the patients remotely. This enhances the quality of care while reducing the costs incurred by the patient in accessing care.
Conclusion
Diabetes is a major health concern in today’s world due to its high prevalence. This is envisaged in the epidemiology statistics on the condition's prevalence among different genders and age groups. Notably, type 2 diabetes is more prevalent among adults than type 1 diabetes. The risk factors that lead to diabetes include genetics, obesity, and sedentary lifestyles. Unmanaged diabetes is known to lead to complications such as heart disease, neuropathy, nephropathy, and stroke. Among the factors influencing diabetes management are socioeconomic status, spirituality, and cultural beliefs. These factors affect the patients' receipt, acceptance, and adherence to offered treatment regimens. Leveraging available interprofessional resources will be essential in the improvement of existing care plans such as self-management. Technological solutions such as telehealth systems enhance the utilization of interprofessional collaboration approaches by improving communication and information exchange.
References
Darvyri, P., Christodoulakis, S., Galanakis, M., Avgoustidis, A. G., Thanopoulou, A., & Chrousos, G. P. (2018). On the Role of Spirituality and Religiosity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Management—A Systematic Review. Psychology , 9 (04), 728.
Gucciardi, E., Espin, S., Morganti, A., & Dorado, L. (2016). Exploring interprofessional collaboration during the integration of diabetes teams into primary care. BMC family practice , 17 (1), 12.
Lascar, N., Brown, J., Pattison, H., Barnett, A. H., Bailey, C. J., & Bellary, S. (2018). Type 2 diabetes in adolescents and young adults. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology , 6 (1), 69-80.
Szafran, O., Kennett, S. L., Bell, N. R., & Torti, J. M. (2019). Interprofessional collaboration in diabetes care: perceptions of family physicians practicing in or not in a primary health care team. BMC family practice , 20 (1), 44.
Tol, A., Sharifirad, G., Shojaezadeh, D., Tavasoli, E., & Azadbakht, L. (2013). Socioeconomic factors and diabetes consequences among patients with type 2 diabetes. Journal of education and health promotion , 2 .
Xu, G., Liu, B., Sun, Y., Du, Y., Snetselaar, L. G., Hu, F. B., & Bao, W. (2018). Prevalence of diagnosed type 1 and type 2 diabetes among US adults in 2016 and 2017: population-based study. BMJ, 362 , k1497.
