Posicionamiento de la Sociedad Española de Diabetes (SED) sobre el perfil curricular y profesional de los profesionales de enfermería expertos en la atención de las personas con diabetes, sus familiares o cuidadores

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Spain is 13.8% (6% undiagnosed), while the incidence of type 1 diabetes is 12-14 cases per100,000 inhabitants/year. DM consumes 8.2% of total health expenditure in Spain.

DM is a paradigmatic example of chronic disease that affects all ages, and requires continuous medical care to: (i) optimize metabolic control; (ii) prevent and treat acute complications and associated chronic complications; (iii) control cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF); and (iv) provide therapeutic education related to self-management for patients, relatives and caregivers. For quality of care, scientific societies advocate quality standards of therapeutic patient education programs, as well as interdisciplinary team work in which the diabetes expert/specialist nurse has an important role, especially that of educator.

Both the curricular and professional profiles of diabetes expert/specialist nurses in different countries are described. The Spanish Diabetes Society (SED) supports the academic profile of diabetes expert/specialist nurses via Master or post-graduate degrees and the need for continuing education. The competence profile is based on 5 domains: (I) Pathophysiology and Epidemiology of Diabetes Clinical Guidelines. (II) Culturally competent care throughout life. (III) Teaching and learning skills. (IV) Education for self-management. (V) Planning, management and research for effective self-management.