The beginning of 2003 heralds some stimulating events for diabetes nursing. The first of these is, of course, the publication (at last) of the delivery strategy of the Diabetes National Service Framework (NSF); Sue Cradock comments on the implications of this for nursing on page 5.
Another exciting development is that there will be more editions of this journal each year as from this issue we are going monthly. This is largely thanks to the continued educational grant from Novo Nordisk who have supported the publication for the past 7 years. This increased frequency will give us the opportunity to debate more interactively the issues which will undoubtedly arise from the NSF over the next 10 years, as well as continue the work of sharing our knowledge, ideas and views on all topics.
New initiatives
The journal will also look a little different, with some new sections. There will be five new supplemental journals each year, covering the following topics:
- Paediatric diabetes nursing
- Patient education and consultation
- Diabetes service delivery
- Care of older people
- Integrated care
Each supplement will have a separate editor who will address the relevant issues of the day. In this way we hope that areas of diabetes nursing which do not currently have a dedicated medium for publication, such as paediatric nursing, will have a focus for doing just that. I also anticipate that more nurses from primary care will feel that their contributions are valid; the section on integrated care will hopefully reinforce the notion that this journal is not just for diabetes specialist nurses, but is a communication tool for all nurses involved in caring for people with diabetes.
There will also be a Noticeboard section. This is similar to a message board found on the internet, giving people the chance to ask quick questions and make comments. They will be short and concise, and will give diabetes nurses from all sectors of the health service the opportunity to contribute without having to write a whole article (although I hope some ideas will be generated). It will serve as an ideal forum for the ongoing debates that I am sure will occur in the foreseeable future. I anticipate that this section, in particular, will be extremely busy over the next year or so, at least!
There is yet another exciting development! The success of Diabetes Digest, sister journal to Journal of Diabetes Nursing, has generated the idea of having an article digest section in this journal, devoted to issues of specific relevance to nurses. The articles for summary and review will include those about diabetes nursing published in other journals and which busy people may miss, as well as items felt to be particularly pertinent in the worlds of education, psychology and medicine.
Looking to the future
The development of these new parts of the journal is immensely exciting. It reflects the success and growth of the journal since its inception as well as the commitment of all those who have contributed to it and that includes the readers! I hope that you will join me in raising a metaphorical glass of champagne to toast the new and improved Journal of Diabetes Nursing and wish it every success in the New Year.
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