Assigment .Apa seven . All instructions attached.

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Enhancing Diabetes Management in an Underserved Community

Andy Curbelo

Grand Canyon University

Applied Evidence-Based Project and Practicum

Professor: Leslie Greenberg

February 3, 2024

Enhancing Diabetes Management in an Underserved Community

Problem Description and Alignment

One of the challenges within this underserved community is specific in providing the education, resources, and support systems required to assist individuals in managing their diabetes through the proposed capstone project. It is more of a problem constructed by the community since it has to do with the health needs of the population of people in a particular community or region. Access to quality healthcare services, including management of diabetes, is indeed a massive problem in underserved communities. Disparities in diabetes care are related to an amalgamation of poor socioeconomic status, lesser access to health facilities, cultural beliefs, and poorer health literacy within these communities (Kirk et al., 2024). In such a case, people with diabetes in underserved communities are much more at risk of their diabetes degenerating into complications and worse health consequences than would be the case for their well-off counterparts. This project aims to focus on the diabetes management needs of an underserved community, thus helping to address these disparities for health equity. The project would also empower individuals with diabetes to manage the condition to ensure health and well-being through affordability of medications and supplies, community-based education programs, and working with local health service providers (Garcia et al., 2022). In addition, in partnership with the other health personnel and organizations in the community and at the local leadership, an effort to seek an interprofessional collaboration, which will develop a model that will be sustainable in the reduction of these disparities in healthcare and promotion of health at the population level in the community.

Setting and Population Overview

Diabetes management in a health disparity community is characterized by poor access to healthcare resources and socioeconomic disparities. It bears a more significant burden of diabetes incidence and its comorbid complications in comparison to that of other populations. Situated in an urban setting with most of the population living below the poverty line, the clinical site of the project is a community health center serving as the source of care for a large population of people living with diabetes and having challenges in getting specialized medical services. The problem affects people from many parts of our community, ranging from those of diverse cultural backgrounds, like racial and ethnic minorities, to immigrants and people with limited English proficiency (Tapager et al., 2022). Most of them do not have health insurance coverage and are therefore challenged with transport, food security, and poor health literacy issues. These challenges will likely be complications, poor lifestyle, and poor health management. They are, therefore, likely to have increased readmission, complications, and impaired quality of life in diabetes management. This initiative would envision bridging the gaps through the setup of evidence-based tailored interventions to the unique needs and circumstances of the underserved community, based on interprofessional collaboration between diverse healthcare providers, educators, community organizers, and local stakeholders with a view of improving diabetes care delivery and outcomes.

Implications on Nursing Practice

Poor diabetes management among the underserved is a clinical practice problem serious to nursing practice. The diabetes-related clinical issues and practice problems are in line with nursing practice as nurses are central to care among diabetic patients. These clinicians take the central role of educators, advocates, and coordinators of care among diabetes patients. The challenge is not only to deliver the clinical intervention but also the social determinants of health causing poor outcomes for people living with diabetes. It means that a nurse needs to negotiate cultural and linguistic barriers on one hand while assessing the social and economic circumstances of the patient; they also work hand in glove with an interdisciplinary team in developing a tailor-made, holistic care plan for the individual. Patients need to be empowered by nurses by teaching them self-management skills, ensuring that they follow their treatment regimen, and giving them access to resources such as proper nutrition counseling exercises and available support groups (Duprez et al., 2020). Additionally, the nurses must be trained through continuing education on how to keep them updated with advanced diabetes management and be able to apply evidence-based practices in their care delivery.

Priority for the Community/Clinical Site or Affected Clinical Population

The community and clinical site will focus on need to act urgently in eliminating health disparities and moving from diagnosis to health outcomes for people living with diabetes. Some barriers include lack of finances, inadequate means of transportation, and health literacy of the underserved community in accessing good quality healthcare. That is why diabetes is high in rate, including its complications within the disease, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenditures. Managing diabetes then becomes tantamount to a mission of the community/clinical site in promoting health equity and improving the well-being of this segment of underserved populations. Consequently, focusing on diabetes care enables the community/clinical site to bridge health disparities, work toward bettering the outcomes of patients affected by the disease, and encourage a culture of prevention and wellness.

Organizational Structure and Impact on Care Coordination

The community health center where the practicum takes place provides holistic and sensitive medical services to all, regardless of their paying ability. The organization envisions healthier society by eliminating social determinants and equal access to health care. It has a board of directors, an executive leadership team, and departmental managers working together to guide operations on a daily basis and develop strategies for better operations. Other internal processes that ensure continuity of care entail developing patient care teams, electronic health records, and initiatives to improve quality service delivery. It works closely with community-based organizations, local authorities, and advocacy groups to remove barriers that hinder healthy living among people while enhancing their economic empowerment.

Effectiveness in Addressing the Identified Problem or Issue

Initiatives and activities have shown the organization's commitment to correcting inappropriate diabetes control. These include culturally tailored diabetes education classes, nutrition counseling, community partnerships to provide healthy food, and insurance enrollment to improve access to medications and medical supplies. The organization has trained and developed staff to increase cultural competency and communication with varied patient populations (Boucher & Johnson, 2020). These programs have had some success, but they could reach more people at risk for or living with diabetes, reduce care inequities, and improve health outcomes. The proposed capstone project builds on existing programs and uses interprofessional collaboration to improve community health center diabetes care practices.

References

Boucher, N. A., & Johnson, K. S. (2020). Cultivating Cultural Competence: How Are Hospice Staff Being Educated to Engage Racially and Ethnically Diverse Patients? American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, 38(2), 169–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909120946729

Duprez, V., Beeckman, D., Van Hecke, A., & Verhaeghe, S. (2020). Nurses’ perceptions of success in self‐management support: An exploratory qualitative study. Research in Nursing & Health, 43(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.22018

Garcia, J. F., Peters, A. L., Raymond, J. K., Fogel, J., & Orrange, S. (2022). Equity in Medical Care for People Living With Diabetes. Diabetes Spectrum, 35(3), 266–275. https://doi.org/10.2337/dsi22-0003

Kirk, K. F., McKinley, G., Mezuk, B., & Spears, E. C. (2024). Social Determinants of Diabetes. 973–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119697473.ch67

Tapager, I., Olsen, K. R., & Vrangbæk, K. (2022). Exploring equity in accessing diabetes management treatment: A healthcare gap analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 292, 114550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114550