National Diabetes Nursing Education Framework

Foreword

It is a great privilege to introduce you to the National Diabetes Nursing Education Framework (the framework). Nurses are central to providing and coordinating care and education for people with diabetes. The framework is designed to support and prepare all nurses to provide high-quality diabetes care and education regardless of their practice setting. It will assist nurses and nurse educators by outlining the expected diabetesspecific responsibilities and activities, and minimum knowledge and skills required by nurses working at different practice levels. This will enable nurses to demonstrate and develop their competence.

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic condition where the body cannot maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood. For people with type 1 diabetes, this is due to the autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. In people with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes, it is due to the reduced production of insulin and/or the inability of the body to effectively use the insulin it does produce. There are also other less common forms of diabetes that do not fit into either type 1 or type 2 classification, such as pancreatic, monogenic or medication-related diabetes. All forms of diabetes require careful management by the person living with diabetes in collaboration with a team of health care professionals. Optimal management reduces the risk of diabetes-related health issues, including cardiovascular disease, eye and kidney disease, lower limb amputations and poor mental health.

Objectives

The objectives of the National Diabetes Nursing Education Framework are to:

• 1. Outline the contribution of nursing practice to diabetes care and highlight the need for all nurses to effectively participate in diabetes care.
• 2. Define the minimum competencies required by all nurses to participate in diabetes care, inclusive of all practice settings.
• 3. Provide a measurable means of evaluating nursing practice in diabetes care and guide learning, professional and career pathways.
• 4. Provide a national standard for diabetes education and professional development programs for nurses.
• 5. Guide the development of diabetes learning resources that support the competencies required for proficient diabetes care.