Book review: Care of people with diabetes: A manual of nursing practice

Trisha Dunning’s book, Care of People with Diabetes: A Manual of Diabetes Nursing is a valuable resource for any nurse involved in the management or support of people with diabetes.

The foreword is by Anne-Marie Felton, president and co-founder of the Foundation of European Nurses in Diabetes and Vice-President of Diabetes UK. She states that the book is a kaleidoscope of excellence and an invaluable tool for all professionals involved in the management of diabetes care. This sums the book up very nicely; it is very comprehensive and reflects the in-depth knowledge and experience within the field of diabetes of its author.

This fourth edition of the title has been extensively revised, but still includes information from the previous editions. The revisions that have been made reflect the developments in the understanding of diabetes pathophysiology and the complications, how diabetes care is provided, and the changes in education provision that have occurred over recent years.�

A wide variety of topics are covered in the chapters, including complementary therapies, which are not always available in other nursing or medical manuals. There are also chapters explaining the management and care of diabetes during surgical and acute settings, and outpatients and home-based care, thus covering most situations and environments that diabetes nursing can encounter.

A valuable new addition to this edition is a chapter that focuses on the palliative care approach to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes management.�

It also includes new material on evaluating education programmes, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, and the association between diabetes and sleep apnoea. There are also very useful protocols for consistent care and improving outcomes for people with diabetes, as well as many “patient care sheets”, which are useful for those wanting to improve or develop their own nursing care documentation.

Although the author is based in Australia, which� is noticeable from the names of the blood glucose machines listed, some of the additional reading recommended and the references used, this does not take away from the educational value that this book would provide for UK health professionals.�

When reading this book, it is clear that the reader will require at least a basic understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and patient education principles. However, whilst the book is a nursing manual, it would be a useful resource for any health professional involved in the care of people with diabetes.

Author: Trisha Dunning
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 978-0-470-65919-9
Price: �34.99