Community Nursing and Chronic Disease Management: Evaluating the Contribution of Community Nursing in Supporting Patients with Chronic Conditions

Chronic diseases are long-term health problems that affect the quality of life and well-being of millions of people around the world. They include conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, arthritis, depression, and dementia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic diseases are responsible for 71% of all deaths globally and 88% of all deaths in high-income countries [1].

Managing chronic diseases requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach that involves multiple health care providers, settings, and interventions. Primary and community care are key settings for the effective management of chronic diseases, as they provide accessible, continuous, and patient-centered care [2]. Community nursing is an essential component of primary and community care, as it delivers a range of services to patients with chronic conditions in their homes or other community settings.

Community nursing can support patients with chronic conditions by providing education, self-management support, care coordination, case management, health coaching, monitoring, assessment, treatment, referral, and follow-up. Community nursing can also collaborate with other health professionals and community resources to ensure integrated and holistic care for patients with complex needs [3].

The contribution of community nursing to chronic disease management has been evaluated in several studies that have shown positive impacts on health outcomes, health service utilization, and patient satisfaction. For example, a systematic review of chronic disease management interventions in primary care found that community nursing interventions were associated with improvements in patient-level outcomes such as blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol levels, quality of life, self-efficacy, and adherence to medications [2]. Another systematic review of home-based nursing interventions for patients with chronic conditions found that community nursing interventions were associated with reductions in hospital admissions, emergency department visits, length of stay, and costs [4].

However, there are also challenges and barriers that limit the potential of community nursing to improve chronic disease management. These include lack of funding, resources, workforce capacity, training, support, recognition, and integration with other health services [3]. Therefore, there is a need for policy and practice changes that can enhance the role and value of community nursing in chronic disease management.

In conclusion, community nursing plays a vital role in supporting patients with chronic conditions in primary and community care settings. Community nursing can improve health outcomes, reduce health service utilization, and increase patient satisfaction by providing patient-centered and coordinated care. However, there are also challenges that need to be addressed to optimize the contribution of community nursing to chronic disease management.

References

[1] WHO. Noncommunicable diseases. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases (accessed Dec 13 2022).

[2] R Reynolds et al., A systematic review of chronic disease management interventions in primary care. BMC Fam Pract 2018;19:11.

[3] Australian College of Nursing. Chronic Disease Management in the Community. https://www.acn.edu.au/education/single-unit-of-study/chronic-disease-management-in-the-community (accessed Dec 13 2022).

[4] S Jeon et al., The effectiveness of home-based nursing interventions on hospital use: a systematic review. Int J Evid Based Healthc 2015;13:214-35.