Diabetes is a huge problem that has been recognized as an important healthcare issue by most national governments. Diabetes affects patients not only in terms of physical health but also in terms of mental health. Furthermore, the medical costs that are associated with diabetes are considerable. Many countries have developed integrated care models for the treatment of diabetes and pay particular attention to assisting patients that require complicated care. Evidence from empirical studies shows that the integrated care of diabetes reduces complications, increases patients' health literacy, and decreases medical costs. Accordingly, integrated care has been applied to the treatment and care of diabetes patients. In the integrated care model, patients not only receive multidisciplinary care during hospitalization but also receive medical services after their return to the community. There has been a dearth of scholarly discussions in Taiwan related to the integrated care of diabetes. Therefore, we present in this paper the concept of integrated diabetes care and the role of the advanced practice nurse (APN) in the multidisciplinary model. It is hoped that this introduction provides practical insights for healthcare professionals into the essence of integrated care.
Title: 糖尿病整合照護之概論.
糖尿病的照護問題已被多數國家公認為重要的國安議題，除影響病人的身心健康外，醫療支出也相當可觀，未妥善解決甚至會動搖國本，因此歐美各國均積極發展整合照護模式，來協助糖尿病病人複雜的照護需求。實證研究顯示，糖尿病整合照護確實能有效減少併發症發生、提升病人的健康素養及降低醫療花費。利用整合照護的概念，讓病人在醫院療養時，能接受跨團隊、跨領域的整合照護，出院返回社區後，也能受到持續性的醫療服務，來達到疾病控制及預防的目的。目前，我國在糖尿病整合照護之相關論述較欠缺，故本文將針對糖尿病整合照護之概念，及進階護理師於整合照護模式中扮演的角色與職責進行介紹，期此引發健康專業人員有更寬廣之照護觀。.
Keywords: advanced practice nurse (APN); diabetes management; integrated care.