Benchmark Assignment: Paper on Diabetes

Benchmark Assignment: Evidence-Based Practice Project—Paper on Diabetes
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Diabetes is among the leading causes of most of the life threatening conditions in adults. Such diseases are, for example, heart disease and stroke. The rates of death that are attributed to heart disease and the susceptibility to developing stroke are higher among diabetic adults compared to the non-diabetic. According to the National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2012), 67% of the diabetic patients report experiencing HBP and cholesterol levels that are high. Therefore, they are at an increased risk of developing stroke and other heart diseases (Ross, Boucher, & O'Connell, 2007).
For smokers, the risks of heart disease and stroke are higher. Other risks in diabetes include loss of vision, amputation of limbs, and kidney failure. The above complications can be ameliorated, avoided, and delayed through glucose control that is measured using A1c levels and controlling the body’s blood pressure (Ross, Boucher, & O'Connell, 2007).
The overall medical costs for the treatment of diabetes and its related conditions are estimated to be two times higher for individuals with diabetes compared to those who have no diabetes. In the United States, diabetes-related treatment costs in 2007 alone amounted to approximately $174 billion. The total costs involved in the provision of direct medical care were approximately $116 billion and the indirect expenses amounted to $58 billion (National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2012).
Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high-blood sugar due to body’s ineffectiveness in producing enough insulin or utilize its own insulin effectively, or both. Therefore, blood sugar builds up that result in complications including premature death. Diabetes is associated with numerous complications as highlighted earlier. However, ...