Practice Guidelines of Nursing and Midwifery Diabetes Care – 2023. A position statement of Polish federation for education in Diabetology

Abstract Introduction. The history of recommendations by the Polish Federation for Education in Diabetology dates back to 2006, when guidelines for nurses/midwifes working with diabetic patients were first drawn up. However, the development of nurses and midwifes? competences requires stronger actions that foster a transition from experience-based towards evidence-based practice. Aim. The aim of this publication is to present a set of procedures describing nursing interventions in diabetes care, including currently available scientific evidence and clinical experience of specialists involved in the care of diabetic patients. Material and methods. The study involved a literature review of selected areas of nursing practice in diabetes care. When compiling the material, the priority was to use data from (in order of significance): randomized controlled clinical trials and their meta-analyses, observational studies and other studies with lower levels of evidence. Results. Based on an analysis of the collected material, 15 procedures and 2 guidelines have been developed, describing selected aspects of nursing interventions in diabetic patients. Each of the procedures details key recommendations on diabetes care, arranged in accordance of the significance ascribed to the scientific evidence analyzed. Conclusions. The 2023 PFED guidelines on nursing diabetes care are the effect of the evaluation of the previous versions and comprise an updated, considerably more extensive, comprehensive and evidence-based set of practices. The major asset of these guidelines is their interdisciplinarity, reflected in the fact that the final version of the publication was approved by consultants in numerous nursing fields, a consultant in diabetology, and the President of the Polish Federation for Education in Diabetology, who all represent the medical community. The authors experience gained during work on international recommendations (New Insulin Delivery Recommendations) played an important role when formulating the present guidelines.