Purpose of the study
The study looks at the challenges the diabetic patient go through and health complications such as amputation. As such, this research looks at the methods which can adopted by the diabetic patients to reduce chance of amputations (Anderson et al., 2012). There is the general understanding that amputations and foot ulcers are the major causes of mortalities, physical and emotional costs, and disabilities on diabetics (Delea, et al., 2015). Therefore, there is the need to have earliest interventions which will be helpful in addressing this disease so that the risk of the adverse conditions occurring to the patients (Foster & Lauver, 2014)
PICO question
In diabetic patients (P), are lifestyle changes (I) more effective than foot care(C) in reducing the risk of foot amputations (O)?
Target population
The population that needs to take the initiative in addressing the risks of amputations happening to them is patients suffering from diabetes (Anderson et al., 2012). There is the need to have better strategies for these individuals so that any adverse effects likely to come from the disease can be effectively curbed (Schellenberg et al., 2013).
Methodology
As one of the efforts aimed at addressing the problem of amputations in patients who are diabetic, a study that focused on sample of 112 diabetic patients and who had already have an incidence of amputation, diabetic individuals who were active smokers underwent more proximal amputations compared to the non-smokers in the sample (Anderson et al., 2012).
Result
The more cigarettes an individual smokes, the higher the chances of subsequent amputations. As such, the cessation of smoking is an effective method that diabetic patients can use to lower amputation risks. Thus, it is imperative that an individual focuses on quitting smoking as a lifestyle change directed at addressing amputation instances (Anderson et al., 2012). In addition to the encouragement of smoking cessation, there is the need for providing emotional support to patients who might have had incidences of amputations to eradicate any chances of subsequent amputations occurring. As such, a study using interviews carried out on 30 diabetic patients had the participants express their needs for medical support in addition to emotional support to help them come out with desirable clinical outcomes. These physiological and psychological efforts are aimed at assisting diabetic lower cases of subsequent amputations (Anderson et al., 2012).
Limitations of the study
The biggest limitation of the study was that results depend entirely on the responses given by the patients and their families. There was no blood test or text to examine body mass index and hemoglobin A1C (Anderson et al., 2012). Additionally, the sample size was small and the study took only three months to come up with the conclusions. Thus, chance of bias and errors are high due to small sample size and time taken to conduct the research.
Conclusion
It is evident that a change in lifestyle which in this case is smoking cessation is important in addressing the problem of diabetic amputations. This has been demonstrated by the connection linking diabetics who smoke and the nonsmokers. The study showed that in spite of smoking pointing at increased amputations, few individuals quit smoking, subsequently leading to more amputations (Anderson et al., 2012).
Importance to nursing
Therefore, it is vital that nurses education patients on how to live a quality life that concentrate on improving their wellbeing (Bonner et al, 2016). On the other hand, it is important that diabetic patients adhere to lifestyle changes so that the risks associated with amputations can be lowered. As such, it is vital that patients undertake lifestyle changes so as to reduce the risks of foot amputations (Dorresteijn & Valk, 2012). Proper emotional support and education are also important.
References
Anderson, J. J., Boone, J., Hansen, M., Spenser, L., & Fowler, Z. (2012). A comparison of diabetic smokers and non-smokers who undergo lower extremity amputation: a retrospective review of 112 patients. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3474996/
Bonner, T., Foster, M., & Spears-Lanoix, E. (2016). Type 2 diabetes-related foot care knowledge and foot self-care practice interventions in the United States: a systematic review of the literature. Diabetic Foot & Ankle, 7.
Delea, S., Buckley, C., Hanrahan, A., McGreal, G., Desmond, D., & McHugh, S. (2015). Management of diabetic foot disease and amputation in the Irish health system: a qualitative study of patients’ attitudes and experiences with health services. BMC health services research, 15(1), 251.
Dorresteijn, J. A., & Valk, G. D. (2012). Patient education for preventing diabetic foot ulceration. Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews, 28(S1), 101-106.
Foster, D., & Lauver, L. S. (2014). When a diabetic foot ulcer results in amputation: a qualitative study of the lived experience of 15 patients.Ostomy/wound management, 60(11), 16-22.
Schellenberg, E. S., Dryden, D. M., Vandermeer, B., Ha, C., & Korownyk, C. (2013). Lifestyle interventions for patients with and at risk for type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of internal medicine, 159(8), 543-551.
