The Role of the Diabetes Nurse in the Diabetic Foot Care Room

Background. As the incidence of diabetes rises rapidly around the world, so does the number of associated complica­tions that require skilled and complex nursing care. Aim. To discover the views of diabetes nurses on their role, training opportunities, and challenges in diabetic foot care in the office. Methods. Seven participants (six women and one man), general nurses with a specialisation in diabetes nursing and who have been working in a diabetic foot care practice for at least two years, voluntarily participated in the study. A semi-structured interview method was used for data collection. The interview questions related to the clinical activi­ties, challenges, and continuous professional development activities of the participants. Results. The study revealed the main roles of the diabetes nurse: care provider, teacher, case manager, and consultant. It also revealed the main challenges of working in a diabetic foot care office: long queues for patients, resulting in the risk of diabetic foot or its complications, and high workloads for nurses. Diabetes nurses value and prefer practical training over conferences but expressed a lack of quality practical in-service training in Lithuania. Conclusions. Diabetes nurses play multifaceted roles in the management of diabetes mellitus, and to ensure their effec­tiveness it is necessary to improve the accessibility of services to patients and to create conditions for their continuous professional development. Keywords: diabetes nurse; diabetes mellitus; nurse roles