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Diabetes Management: A Nurse-Led Family-Centered Intervention
Quincy Kimani
Capella University
Capstone Project
Amanda De La Serna
9/18/2025
Introduction
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that presents significant challenges to patients, families, and healthcare systems. In families where multiple members are diagnosed with T2DM, management becomes complex due to the cumulative burden of medication adherence, lifestyle modification, and psychosocial stressors. This project focuses on diabetes management within a family system, recognizing that family engagement and education are central to effective disease control. The problem is highly relevant to nursing practice because nurses play pivotal roles as educators, coordinators, and advocates for holistic, evidence-based care.
Proposed Intervention
The proposed intervention is a nurse-led, family-centered diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) program. The intervention integrates telehealth technology, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and community-based resources to strengthen adherence and improve outcomes. A teaching plan will be used as the professional product, focusing on family education about diet, medication adherence, lifestyle change, and use of digital tools for monitoring. Nurse facilitators will conduct structured telehealth sessions to guide the family, provide culturally tailored education, and foster collaborative goal-setting.
Role of Leadership and Change Management
Nurse leadership is essential in mobilizing families and care teams toward improved diabetes outcomes. By applying Lewin’s Change Theory, the intervention emphasizes unfreezing current behaviors, moving toward new lifestyle patterns, and refreezing sustainable self-management practices. Nursing ethics also inform this intervention by ensuring respect for autonomy, justice in equitable access to resources, and beneficence through promotion of well-being. Leaders will encourage shared decision-making, while motivational interviewing techniques will be used to overcome resistance to change within families.
Communication and Collaboration Strategies
The intervention identifies the family unit as the primary patient group. Effective communication and collaboration are necessary to ensure consistent adherence to care plans. Gathering input from each family member fosters ownership and strengthens natural support systems. Best practices supported by literature include the use of motivational interviewing, culturally sensitive education, and structured family meetings to establish shared goals. Collaboration among nurses, dietitians, primary care providers, and community health workers will enhance continuity of care and prevent fragmentation.
Policy and Nursing Standards
The intervention is guided by the 2022 National Standards for DSMES and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2025 Standards of Care. These emphasize patient-centered, team-based approaches and the integration of social determinants of health in diabetes care. Scope-of-practice policies that empower advanced practice nurses to lead educational and coordination efforts further support this model. Research demonstrates that DSMES and nurse-led models significantly improve glycemic outcomes, reduce complications, and increase patient satisfaction.
Impact on Quality, Safety, and Costs
The proposed intervention will enhance quality of care by empowering families with the knowledge and skills to self-manage diabetes. Patient safety is prioritized through the use of CGM and telehealth monitoring, which help prevent episodes of hypo- and hyperglycemia. By reducing hospital readmissions and emergency visits, the program is expected to lower costs for both families and the healthcare system. Benchmark data from ADA and CDC reports support that DSMES reduces complications and improves long-term cost-effectiveness.
Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources
Technology plays a central role in this intervention. Telehealth platforms will provide remote education and follow-up, while mobile health applications and CGMs will allow real-time monitoring of glucose levels. Care coordination will involve linking patients to dietitians, primary care providers, and community health workers to promote continuity. Community resources, including diabetes support groups and nutrition classes, will supplement clinical care and address psychosocial needs. Evidence shows that integration of technology, coordinated care, and community-based supports improves self-management, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.
Conclusion
Diabetes management in families affected by T2DM requires holistic, evidence-based strategies that incorporate technology, policy, and community resources. The nurse-led, family-centered DSMES program described here addresses these needs by empowering patients and families, improving safety, and reducing costs. By leveraging leadership, collaboration, and change management strategies, this intervention is poised to improve both short-term and long-term outcomes, and is submitted for faculty review and approval as part of the capstone project.
References
American Diabetes Association. (2025). Improving care and promoting health in populations: Standards of care in diabetes—2025. Diabetes Care, 48(Suppl. 1), S14–S26.
Davis, J., Fischl, A. H., Beck, J., Browning, L., Carter, A., Condon, J. E., … & Villalobos, S. (2022). 2022 National standards for diabetes self-management education and support. Diabetes Care, 45(2), 484–494.
Dailah, H. G. (2024). The influence of nurse-led interventions on diseases management in patients with diabetes mellitus: A narrative review. Healthcare, 12(3), 352.
Johnson, C., Ingraham, M. K., Stafford, S. R., & Guilamo-Ramos, V. (2024). Adopting a nurse-led model of care to advance whole-person health and health equity within Medicaid. Nursing Outlook, 72(4), 102191.
Macedo, V. L. M. D., Sousa, N. P. D., Santos, A. C. D., Santos, W., Stival, M. M., & Rehem, T. C. M. S. B. (2025). Coordination of care in health systems for users with diabetes and hypertension: A scoping review. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 33, e4428.
Busebaia, T. J. A., Thompson, J., Fairbrother, H., & Ali, P. (2023). The role of family in supporting adherence to diabetes self-care management practices: An umbrella review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(10), 3652–3677.
