Office Nurse Educators: Improving Diabetes Self-Management for the Latino Population in the Clinic Setting

Dawn Weiler, Boise State University
Laura Tirrell, MD

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This document was originally published by Springer in Hispanic Health Care International Copyright restrictions may apply. doi: 10.1891/154041507780851932

Abstract

Diabetes patients who understand their disease and how to manage it can achieve a lower complication rate. The American Diabetes Association recommends that patients receive self-management education and that patients’ skills and knowledge be reassessed annually. The Healthy People 2010 objectives include a goal of at least 60% of diabetes patients receiving diabetes education. However, to date overall, far fewer (20%–50%) obtain comprehensive diabetes education and skills development to effectively implement self-management techniques. Low-income Latino patients generally fare even worse. This article describes a successful method to address this problem: the development and evaluation of an in-house diabetes education program, using office nurses.