Ensuring continuity of care for patients with diabetes mellitus
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Ensuring continuity of care for patients with diabetes mellitus

Victoria Ruszala Specialist pharmacist in diabetes and endocrinology, Pharmacy Department, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, England

Why you should read this article
  • To be aware of the risks and adverse events that can occur at various points of patient transfer

  • To understand the importance of ensuring continuity of care for patients with diabetes mellitus

  • To ensure effective practice and patient care throughout the healthcare pathway

Diabetes mellitus is a common long-term condition that requires careful monitoring and management. Patients with long-term conditions are often transferred between healthcare settings, for example: during admission to hospital from the community; transfer between hospital wards or inpatient departments; discharge from hospital into the community; and possible readmission to hospital. During the healthcare pathway of a patient with diabetes, there are frequent opportunities for treatment errors or miscommunication to occur, particularly related to medicines such as insulin. Therefore, it is important for nurses to develop effective communication skills to provide continuity of care as patients with diabetes navigate the healthcare pathway. This article examines the potential transfer points in the patient’s healthcare pathway and discusses how effective diabetes care can be maintained throughout these transitions.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2019.e11454

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@VixRz

Correspondence

Victoria.Ruszala@nbt.nhs.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Ruszala V (2019) Ensuring continuity of care for patients with diabetes mellitus. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2019.e11454

* The National Patient Safety Agency is now part of NHS Improvement

Published online: 02 December 2019

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