Chronic disease: Nursing

Home health Nurse Svetlana is visiting a client named Betsy who was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Upon arrival, Nurse Svetlana notices that Betsy is sitting alone in her kitchen with her pajamas on even though it is 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

Nurse Svetlana says, “Betsy, I’ve come to see how you’ve been managing your diabetes at home. How’s it been going?” Betsy responds, “I feel fine, but I didn’t realize how much this would change my life.”

Nurse Svetlana sits down while Betsy describes the challenges she’s facing, including checking her own blood glucose and feeling isolated from her friends. Betsy continues, “My friends and I used to get pizza every week but now I can’t go because of my new diet.” Nurse Svetlana empathizes with Betsy, and reassures her that although there are many physical and emotional implications associated with a diabetes diagnosis, they’ll work together to address them.

Nurse Svetlana will use what she knows about the nature of chronic disease to support Betsy in managing her diabetes diagnosis. So, chronic disease is a biomedical condition lasting at least one year which requires consistent medical care. Examples of chronic diseases are hypertension, asthma, and diabetes. The rapidly growing population of older adults in the United States is resulting in more chronic illness. It’s estimated that 60 percent of all adults in the United States have at least one chronic disease and 40 percent have two or more chronic diseases. In fact, chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability, adding up trillions of dollars in health care costs every year!

On the other hand, chronic illness refers to the client’s personal experience of living with a chronic disease. For example, clients diagnosed with Alzheimer disease may experience fear or loss of independence. Therefore, nurses must consider the complex needs of clients with chronic disease as well as the numerous factors that play a role in chronic disease.