Nurses Role in the Management of Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 in Children - A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Diabetes is a major health issues and one of the fastest growing global health condition and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) accounts for over 90% of childhood and adolescent diabetes in most western countries (International Diabetes Federation, 2021). This is why the researcher set out to gain more knowledge and understanding about the role of nurses on self-care in the management of T1DM in children. Electronic databases MEDLINE; CINAHL; Library, Information Science & technology Abstract; and Academic Search Elite were searched for research articles between January 2010 – October 2022 and yielded 36,885 research articles. 20 research articles were shortlisted for this study out of which 7 were included for the study after review of the research articles. Content analysis of the included research articles revealed that the role of nurses has significant positive effect on the management of T1DM in children. In addition, nurses as educators and motivators were also effective in improving self-care in children with T1DM (Evcimen, Uncu, & Esen, 2021; Nobre, et al., 2019; Wilt, 2021). It further noted the positive impact of appropriate T1DM education to the child, family, parents and primary care givers (Emiliana, Agustini, Allenidekania, & Rustina , 2019; Nobre, et al., 2019; Wang & Volker, 2012; Evcimen, Uncu, & Esen, 2021; Wilt, 2021; Konradsdottir & Svavarsdottir, 2013; Sparapani, Jacob, & Nascimento, 2015).