What is it about?
Poor adherence to medications increases the risk of depression, as evaluated by Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) twice, in older people with diabetes in primary care in a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. During the screening process for risk factors associated with depression in older people, it was observed that older people with type 2 diabetes in primary care with Nursing Diagnostic Hypothesis (NDH) were at risk for unstable blood glucose levels due to poor adherence to medications in their diabetes control plan. This was evidenced by 40.2% of the elderly who exhibited poor adherence to medications. These conditions can increase the risk for frail elderly syndrome due to the deficient community health services. Specifically, the primary care programme that addresses type 2 diabetes is incomplete and may not fully prevent related health problems. Primary care must implement a care pathway based on best practices for the clinical assessment of older patients with diabetes. This will provide community nurses with the necessary working conditions to exercise clinical judgment, supported by NANDA-I Taxonomy II. It is of the utmost importance to expand the scope of psychosocial intervention and shared tasks within collaborative care to improve the mental health of this older demographic.
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Why is it important?
This research shows the importance of health policies focussed on primary health care aimed at health promotion, prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, especially diabetes. It also shows how nurses can contribute to this process.
Perspectives
It is hoped that the present article will contribute to the formulation of public health policies that place a high value on primary health care, and that this, in turn, will result in improved working conditions for nursing staff. The aim of these policies should be to promote good health, prevent disease, and treat it when it occurs, with a particular emphasis on chronic diseases.
RN, Ph.D. Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi
Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Nursing Clinical Assessment of Factors Associated with Depression in Older People with Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care: A Cross-sectional Research, The Open Nursing Journal, September 2024, Bentham Science Publishers,
DOI: 10.2174/0118744346344029240913064830.
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