Risk Assessment…Preventing Diabetes Mellitus Type II: the Independent Role of the Nurses

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a potentially preventable disease; however, recently, there is a trend of its high prevalence.  Realizing in a level of risk and a chance of developing the DM helps people recognize their own risk, which leads to the modification of behavior related to risk factors.  In addition, this can help screening type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without blood examination.  The nurses can play an independent role in preventing diseases and promoting healthcare by applying the social cognitive theory and using the risk assessment tool for assessing the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in the future.  The tool is composed of physical examination and history taking, including age, gender,  body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure and family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus.  The sum of the scores indicates a level of risk: lowest, low, moderately, high, and highest; and predict a chance of developing the disease in the next 12 years.  The nurse, hence, can organize the health promotion activities for sustainable behavior modification based on the principle of learning by observation, the principle of self-controlling and the principle of the perception of self-ability.