Family Empowerment in Diabetes Management: A Collaborative and Policy-Informed Approach

Diabetes mellitus presents a substantial healthcare challenge, affecting individuals and families globally. Effective management of this chronic condition requires a holistic approach that extends beyond the individual patient to encompass the entire family unit. This capstone project examines diabetes management within families, considering the problem from the perspectives of leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy. Direct interaction with a family affected by diabetes will provide firsthand insights and inform potential solutions.

Defining the Problem: Family-Centered Diabetes Care

Diabetes management within families involves navigating complex lifestyle adjustments, adhering to treatment plans, and fostering a supportive environment. This necessitates a shift from individual-centered care to a family-centered approach. The chosen family for this project includes a mother, father, and their adolescent son diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (2021) reports a continuing rise in diabetes prevalence, with type 1 diabetes significantly impacting the pediatric population. This family’s experience mirrors the broader challenges faced by many, including the emotional burden of the diagnosis, the complexities of insulin management, and the constant need for vigilance. Data from the family’s healthcare provider substantiates their challenges, including fluctuating blood glucose levels and difficulties in maintaining dietary restrictions. These challenges highlight the need for improved support and resources for families managing diabetes.

Relevance to Nursing Practice and Evidence-Based Actions

This problem directly relates to the core principles of nursing practice. Nurses play a vital role in educating patients and families about diabetes management, providing emotional support, and advocating for their needs. The literature emphasizes the importance of family involvement in diabetes care (Powers et al., 2020). A family-centered approach has been shown to improve glycemic control, reduce hospital readmissions, and enhance overall quality of life. Evidence from nursing practice aligns with these findings, demonstrating that families who actively participate in care planning and implementation experience better outcomes. Inconsistent blood glucose readings, lack of adherence to treatment plans, and anecdotal information not supported by clinical assessments constitute unreliable data in this context. Such inconsistencies would raise questions about the data’s validity and prompt further investigation.

Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice and the Role of Nursing Theory

Several barriers impede the implementation of evidence-based practice in diabetes management. These include resistance to change from both patients and healthcare providers, limited resources, and inadequate communication (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Research suggests that effective strategies to overcome these barriers include providing tailored education, fostering a culture of collaboration, and utilizing change management models. The Health Belief Model offers a useful framework for understanding the family’s perceptions of diabetes, their perceived susceptibility to complications, and their beliefs about the effectiveness of various management strategies. This model can guide nursing interventions aimed at promoting behavior change.

Nursing Standards, Policies, and the Nurse’s Role in Policy Making

State board nursing practice standards and organizational policies significantly impact diabetes care. These standards define the scope of nursing practice and provide guidelines for patient education, medication administration, and care coordination. Research has demonstrated that standardized care protocols, such as those recommended by the American Diabetes Association (2021), improve patient outcomes. Nurses play a crucial role in policy making by advocating for patient-centered policies that address the needs of families affected by diabetes. They can contribute to the development of policies that improve access to diabetes education, promote affordable insulin and supplies, and support telehealth initiatives (Bilberry, 2022). Local, state, and federal policies, such as those related to telehealth reimbursement, can influence the accessibility of care for families.

Leadership, Collaboration, and Change Management Strategies

Effective leadership is essential for improving diabetes management within families. Nurse leaders can champion a family-centered approach, advocate for resources, and foster a collaborative environment. Research indicates that transformational leadership, which emphasizes empowering others and inspiring a shared vision, can enhance team performance and improve patient outcomes. Collaboration and communication are vital for addressing the multifaceted challenges of diabetes management. Interdisciplinary teams, including nurses, physicians, dietitians, and mental health professionals, can provide comprehensive care. Change management strategies, such as Kotter’s 8-step model, can facilitate the implementation of new programs and initiatives. These strategies emphasize the importance of creating a sense of urgency, building a guiding coalition, and communicating the vision for change.

Anticipated Leadership Role, Collaboration, and Communication Strategies

The leadership role in this project involves advocating for the family’s needs, facilitating communication between the family and the healthcare team, and promoting a collaborative approach to care. This requires building a strong rapport with the family, actively listening to their concerns, and empowering them to take control of their diabetes management. Collaboration will involve working closely with the family’s healthcare providers to ensure coordinated and consistent care. Communication strategies will include regular meetings with the family, providing educational materials tailored to their needs, and utilizing telehealth platforms for ongoing support.

Anticipated Change Management Strategies

Change management strategies will focus on empowering the family to adopt healthier lifestyle habits. This will involve setting realistic goals, providing ongoing support and encouragement, and celebrating successes. The Transtheoretical Model, also known as the Stages of Change model, can guide interventions aimed at promoting behavior change. This model recognizes that individuals progress through different stages of change and require tailored interventions at each stage.

Conclusion

Addressing diabetes management in families requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach that considers the unique needs of each family unit. Nurses play a pivotal role in providing education, support, and advocacy. By embracing leadership principles, fostering collaboration, and implementing effective change management strategies, nurses can empower families to effectively manage diabetes and improve their overall quality of life. This capstone project offers an opportunity to explore these issues firsthand and contribute to the development of more effective family-centered diabetes care models.

Keywords: Diabetes, Family-centered care, Leadership, Policy, Collaboration
Addressing Diabetes Management in Families: A Capstone Project Focused on Leadership, Collaboration, and Policy

In a 5–7 page written assessment define the patient, family, or population health problem that will be the focus of your capstone project. This problem should be specific, measurable, and relevant to current healthcare challenges. Assess the problem from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective. Plan to spend approximately 2 direct practicum hours meeting with a patient, family, or group of your choice to explore the problem and, if desired, consulting with subject matter and industry experts. – FAMILY/DIABETES

Identify the patient, family, or group you want to work with during your practicum. Building a strong rapport with the chosen individual or group is essential for effective collaboration. The patient you select can be a friend or a family member. You’ll work with this patient, family, or group throughout your capstone project, focusing on a specific health care problem. Begin surveying the scholarly and professional literature to establish your evidence and research base, inform your assessment, and meet scholarly expectations for supporting evidence. This literature review will help you identify gaps in current practices and potential solutions.

Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice. Summarize the problem you’ll explore. For instance, diabetes management in families often involves addressing lifestyle changes and adherence to treatment plans. Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum. Provide context, data, or information that substantiates the presence of the problem and its significance and relevance to the patient, family, or population. For example, diabetes prevalence rates and associated complications can highlight the urgency of the issue.

Explain why this problem is relevant to your practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse. Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. This analysis will help you align your interventions with best practices. Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your nursing practice. Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable. Unreliable data often lacks consistency or is not supported by credible sources.

Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined. Common barriers include resistance to change and limited resources. Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of nursing standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem. Such research often highlights the importance of standardized care protocols.

Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions. Nurses play a critical role in advocating for patient-centered policies. Describe what the literature says about a nursing theory or conceptual framework that might frame and guide your actions during your practicum. For example, the Health Belief Model could be used to understand patient behaviors.

Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. These standards often dictate the scope of nursing interventions. Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of these standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem. Effective policies often lead to better patient adherence and outcomes.

Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions. Nurses are increasingly recognized as key stakeholders in healthcare policy. Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice, within the context of this problem. For example, telehealth policies have expanded access to care for diabetic patients.

Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. Effective leadership fosters collaboration and innovation. Discuss research on the effectiveness of leadership strategies. Transformational leadership, for instance, has been shown to improve team performance.

Define the role that you anticipate leadership must play in addressing the problem. Leaders must advocate for resources and support evidence-based practices. Describe collaboration and communication strategies that you anticipate will be needed to address the problem. Interdisciplinary teamwork is crucial for comprehensive diabetes management.

Describe the change management strategies that you anticipate will be required to address the problem. Implementing change often requires clear communication and stakeholder engagement.

References:

American Diabetes Association. (2021). Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2021 Abridged for Primary Care Providers. Clinical Diabetes, 39(1), 14-43.

Bilberry, K., 2022. Strategies Telehealth Care Managers Can Use to Reduce Healthcare Costs for Patients with Chronic Diabetes (Doctoral dissertation, Colorado Technical University).

Institute of Medicine. (2011). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. National Academies Press.

Powers, M. A., Bardsley, J., Cypress, M., Duker, P., Funnell, M. M., Fischl, A. H., … & Vivian, E. (2020). Diabetes self-management education and support in adults with type 2 diabetes: A consensus report of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care, 43(7), 1636-1649.

Quigley, E., 2024. Development and Evaluation of a Nurse Leader Directed Postpartum Diabetes Screening Initiative in Patients with Gestational Diabetes (Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University (Delaware)).

Wright, S.L., 2022. Diabetes Family-Inclusion Education in the Outpatient Clinic.

Sanders, C.G., 2023. Development of a Comprehensive Staff Development Program About Outpatient Diabetes Clinic Care for Patients With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Sisson, E.M., Pamulapati, L.G., Bucheit, J.D., Zimmerman, K.M., Dixon, D.L., Holdford, D.A. and Salgado, T.M., 2024. Integrating real-world skills and diabetes lifestyle coach training into a revised health promotion and communications course. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 16(6), pp.445-452.

Smarth, J.M., 2022. Effective Management of Diabetes Mellitus Type II in a Military Treatment Facility. Walden University.