Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies can affect the problem’s impact on the quality of care, patient safety, and costs to the system and individual.

Assessing the Problem-Quality, Safety, and Cost Considerations

Part 1

Impacts of Diabetes Mellitus

I have spent a total of four direct practicum hours in a multidisciplinary team tasked with diabetes care in our facility. The team was responsible for managing diabetes outcomes in the in-patient and out-patient care settings and within the community. I focused on patient experiences and talked with members of the multidisciplinary team to understand diabetes mellitus and other aspects of the disease, including its impact on the quality of care, patient safety, and costs of care.

Diabetes mellitus is a long-standing disease that is associated with various complications, such as costly cardiovascular and oral health complications. With the increasing rate of diabetes in the U.S. and the world, it is important to explore the disease impacts on the quality of care, patient safety, and the costs of care at both the individual and system levels. Is your assignment devastating you ? Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com. Our homework help will save you tons of time and energy required for your assignment papers.

Impacts on the Quality of Care

Diabetes mellitus is associated with a reduced health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). Diabetic patients face a lot of stigmatization within their social settings (Himmelstein & Puhl, 2021). Stigmatization is related to depression and anxiety. Diabetic patients also live with the fear of death and are more fearful of how people perceive them. A majority of them have a negative view of their health status. These negative feelings may lead to feelings of discouragement in continuing with the treatment plan. The negative self-perception and reduced diabetic patients’ quality of life have been associated with poor attitudes towards self-care (Borba et al., 2019). The lack of self-care may worsen the diabetic conditions and risk other health complications related to diabetes.

The prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. is higher among the lower social classes and mostly among African Americans and other minority groups. With the current healthcare disparities in the U.S., diabetes, and associated complications, patients may be unable to access quality care services such as screening and medications (Hill-Briggs et al., 2021). On the other hand, the need to effectively manage diabetes and associated diseases and complications has improved research focused on managing diabetes, leading to the development of new strategies and methods that improve the quality of care.

Impacts on Patient Safety

Most complications associated with diabetes may result in patient harm or disability. Data on the prevalence of preventable harm in medical settings suggest that one in every 20 patients under care is prone to harm (Panagioti et al., 2019). Notably, a study by Sampson et al. (2018) concluded that diabetic patients are at higher risk of harm. The treatment process for diabetes and related morbidities increases the risk of medication errors due to the multiple drugs used to manage the disease and related complications. The frequency and length of stay periods for diabetic patients also increase the risks of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).

Impacts on Costs of Care at the Individual and System Levels

Diabetes is a significant clinical and economic burden on patients and the U.S. healthcare system (Willey et al., 2018); it has long-term impacts on the health of the patient. Different factors drive the costs of care for individual patients and the system. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular complications, stroke, kidney nervous system issues, feet, eyes, and other complications. These make the diseases very expensive to treat. Diabetic patients are also more likely to be hospitalized, increasing the cost of care. People who are diagnosed with diabetes are more likely to be charged more for similar medical procedures as compared to non-diabetic patients. An economic evaluation study on the costs of diabetes Type 2 in Europe noted that diabetic-related complications and hospitalization cost £3 billion more than non-diabetic hospitalizations, with the cost thought to triple for diabetes Type 1 (Stedman et al., 2020). The increased length of stay for diabetic patients increases the overall care costs for the individual.

The costs of care associated with diabetes are continuously increasing. According to (Willey et al., 2018), the continued increase in the cost of diabetes treatment is an indicator of a growing disease prevalence and costs of diabetes management. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2022), the cost of diabetes