Exploring Diabetes Home Nursing Care: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE To explore the experiences and perspectives of nurses who provide diabetes care to homebound clients. METHODS The first phase of this qualitative study consisted of observing 12 home nursing visits with clients who had diabetes. In the second phase, 3 focus groups were conducted with a total of 17 community nurses involved in diabetes care. FINDINGS Observations from the field visits demonstrated the complexity of managing the medical, social and emotional needs of home care clients. Focus-group findings highlighted the unique role nurses play in delivering care in clients' private homes; the challenges and rewards of autonomous practice; and nurses' efforts to advocate for client services within a system of limited resources. IMPLICATIONS Findings called for the development of diabetes tools specific to the needs of home care clients, new models of diabetes home care provision and diabetes prevention strategies in the community.