The Role of Nurses in Managing Chronic Diseases

Conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic respiratory diseases are diagnosed frequently, and they keep patients and caregivers tied to the facilities for prolonged periods. Nurses are in a unique position to play a vital role in managing these conditions due to the explicit longitudinal evaluation of patient control they have and their ability to consider the health of their patients holistically. The following essay aims to review and analyze the many-faceted position of nurses in chronic disease management in terms of challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic based on the materials of Fekadu et al. (2021), Davidson and Szanton (2020), and Kursumovic et al. (2020).

Comprehensive Care and Patient Education

Chronic disease management is best delegated to specialized personnel such as nurses due to its educational aspect. The responsibilities of such advanced practice nurses are not limited to giving medicine to the patients. Still, they involve educating patients about their diseases and how to manage them, changes in lifestyles, and how to follow through with treatment plans given to them. Nurses educate patients on their condition and, therefore, assist in helping them enhance their management of diseases well, which is crucial when it comes to chronic illnesses. As noted by Fekadu et al. (2021), nurses' likelihood to provide proper educational information to their patients would positively impact the patients' health and decrease incidences of hospitalizations.

Continuity of Care and Monitoring

Another aspect that falls under the responsibility of nurses in chronic diseases is maintaining the continuity of care. The care of chronic diseases is usually a continuous process, which may take several years with repeated observations to recognize deterioration in the patient's status or the development of complications. The study found that as gatekeepers of patient care, nurses play a critical role in the integrated care of patients across primary care and specialty clinics and home health agencies as well. This coordination is essential in order to guarantee that patients have smooth transitions from one phase of care to another and that they get the appropriate treatment at the correct time.

Strengthening the Teaching and Learning of Nursing

This raises the imperative of extending nursing knowledge and skills, therefore focusing on education and training on ways to manage chronic diseases. This means that by increasing their knowledge and skills, nurses will be able to provide adequate attention to multiple chronic illnesses. This includes patients' physical health as it is biased towards technologies in healthcare and, more importantly, teamwork in delivering patient-centered care. Further, continuity is essential in the health-related development of nurses to ensure that they know about innovations in the medical field. These provisions not only advance the nursing profession by increasing patient satisfaction and nurse competence but also allow for greater nurse involvement in policy and health initiatives. With advances and dramatic alterations in the healthcare environment, it will be imperative for the nursing workforce to be well-educated and skilled to provide quality care in order to bolster community health.

Holistic and Patient-Centered Approach

Nurses have always been employed in the provision of health services, making them unique in their provision of health care to patients, especially those suffering from chronic illness. Unlike the patient care delivery model, which solely focuses on the medical diagnosis and care of patients, this model encompasses more than the physical health of a patient as it has a bias toward the psychological status, social functioning, and mental state of the patient. Humans are not just physically sick; they have mental health, health related to their social interactions, and spiritual health that can all be better. Davidson and Szanton opine that this is a robust approach that should be used, especially in nursing homes and other long-term care units where residents suffer from multiple chronic conditions.

NEW: COVID-19: Effect on Chronic Disease Control

COVID-19 has presented considerable problems for patients with chronic illness and their treatment, akin to existing concerns, intensification, and the emergence of novel barriers. Fekadu et al. (2021) explained how COVID-19 interfered with the continuity of care of routine non-COVID-19 related diseases, not only causing delays in diagnoses or interruption of relevant treatment regimens but also reducing access to healthcare services, especially in low-resource settings. The role of the nurses has been altered drastically by these changes, especially with the latter, where nurses have critical responsibilities to assume in order to get proper care for their patients.

Telehealth and remote monitoring: codes: adaptation

Given the ongoing COVID-19 threat, there has been a massive shift to monitoring chronic health to avert possible contagion. Nurses have led these changes as they have adopted the use of technology in offering virtual consultations. This working capacity monitors the management of patients with guidance when it comes to the use of various digital health resources. This adaptation has also brought out the agility and perseverance that is typical of nurses in ensuring that patients and families receive uninterrupted care despite numerous constraints.

Emotional and Psychological Support

Health issues that require long-term medical care can impose substantial psychological and emotional loads on the target group. In this area, we play an essential role in ensuring patients talk to and offer support on stress and anxiety resulting from their diseases. Recently, the role of emotional support has been more significant given the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic since it brings extra worries and unknowns for the patient. Davidson and Szanton (2020) observe that staff nurses themselves have remained vital and essential responders in nursing homes and other settings, offering patients some psychological comfort during this period.

Advocacy and Policy Development

Nurses also contribute to patient welfare, involving patients with chronic illnesses and other vital roles in health systems. It is common for them to engage in policy formulation and implementation aimed at enhanced chronic disease control. This working capacity can encompass guidelines for the macabre delivery approaches or hypertension. They have a first-hand understanding of the hardship and requirements and, therefore, their voices in spearheading change processes that optimize care delivery and access.

Challenges Faced by Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chronic diseases and conditions have also emerged as yet another area that has revealed many problems that nurses experienced during the pandemic. Kursumovic et al. (2020) stress that there is a high probability of healthcare workers, including nurses, getting infected with COVID-19 and how it has affected their ability to deliver proper care. Thus, current nurse workloads, coupled with the increased risk of acquiring an infection and the emotional toll of treating patients with COVID-19, have caused numerous nursing professional stress and burnout. It is concerning when an essential member of the community, such as the healthcare field, and the need for structures to protect and support the nurses through appropriate means should be emphasized.

Innovations and Future Directions

Nonetheless, there has been an enhanced and advanced approach to chronic disease management during this pandemic. Broad innovation with telehealth, remote monitoring, and other advanced digital health devices is expected to proceed and shape new approaches to delivering care. Nurses have a significant role to play in these innovations because they are in a position to offer the expertise needed to harness the aspects of technology when managing patients. Furthermore, different studies show that practice changes combined with interpretants are crucial in nursing environments, where they collaborate with physicians, pharmacists, and other experts to provide patients with multifaceted treatment.

In conclusion, nurses' practice areas of competent, up-to-date, practical, easily accessible, culturally sensitive, comprehensive, well-coordinated, and patient-centered chronic care, education about chronic conditions, continuity of care, and a comprehensive approach to chronic diseases are imperative in the management of these diseases. COVID-19 as a challenge revealed nurses' essential position in the field of healthcare and their ability and willingness to adjust to new conditions. In the future, sustaining the role of empowering the nurses, renovating the environment and policies, and enforcing strong and distinct health policies will be vital in managing chronic diseases and giving better results to patients. The role of nurses will always be significant in the changed healthcare delivery system to show compassionate care for the patients as well as the public.