A literature review for nurses on the potential diabetic complications in children and young adults

The incidence of Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) in childhood is increasing within the United Kingdom. Prior to the discovery of Insulin in 1922, patients with IDDM died and although treatment with daily insulin injections is now effective in the everyday control of the disease, it does not prevent the individual from developing the long-term complications associated with the metabolic disorder. The majority of research into childhood diabetes and the potential problems due to complications is carried out within the medical field. Although this research is valuable it rarely approaches the problems of diabetes from a nursing perspective. There is however literature available in a number of journals that is written from the nursing point of view encompassing a range of diabetes related topics. The purpose of this dissertation is to review the limited literature found and present the conclusions in a concise and readable form.
The history of diabetes is described emphasising the fact that insulin therapy is still a relatively new treatment. The long and short-term complications associated with diabetes are defined in order that the articles reviewed later in the dissertation can be understood. The methodology of the literature search is discussed and reasons are given for focusing on certain themes that were then further expanded in the review chapters.
The conclusion focuses on the themes that developed such as the need for education, compliance, new developments in treatment, glycaemic control and the role of the Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse. It is hoped that the dissertation
will encourage the reader to utilise this information in the provision of care to young people who are affected by IDDM. The information available from the whole range of the media, including the Internet, is examined and the difficulty that the quality of this information can pose to health care professionals is discussed. The implications for research based nursing practice are explored and ideas for potential research projects as a result of the themes described are suggested.