Diabetes specialist nurses' reasoning on their professional practice in contemporary primary diabetes healthcare: a focus group study.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing alarmingly worldwide. Evidence consistently shows that nurse-led care by diabetes specialist nurses is crucial for delivering efficient front-line primary diabetes management. This study aimed to explore diabetes specialist nurses' experiences of the prerequisites for person-centred care and for their professional practice in primary diabetes healthcare.
A total of 16 diabetes specialist nurses from western Sweden participated in four focus-group discussions during May 2025. The data were analysed to identify common themes among the participants' experiences according to Krueger and Casey's descriptions.
The analysis resulted in one main theme: "maintaining professionalism in a changing and strained primary diabetes care". This theme included five subthemes that described diabetes specialist nurses' experiences regarding the prerequisites for person-centred care and professional practice. The diabetes specialist nurses reported daily challenges in delivering person-centred care in contemporary primary diabetes healthcare. Their professional commitment was evident in their clinical practice and in their efforts to maintain professional competence. Despite emphasising the importance of long-term, person-centred patient engagement in diabetes care, they face limited time to interact with patients and insufficient managerial support for their professional learning.
The findings underscore diabetes specialist nurses' need for organisational support, particularly from managers who value and actively promote person-centred care, as well as opportunities for continuous professional development. Taken together, such supportive measures could lay the groundwork for a sustainable primary healthcare system for diabetes in the future.
A total of 16 diabetes specialist nurses from western Sweden participated in four focus-group discussions during May 2025. The data were analysed to identify common themes among the participants' experiences according to Krueger and Casey's descriptions.
The analysis resulted in one main theme: "maintaining professionalism in a changing and strained primary diabetes care". This theme included five subthemes that described diabetes specialist nurses' experiences regarding the prerequisites for person-centred care and professional practice. The diabetes specialist nurses reported daily challenges in delivering person-centred care in contemporary primary diabetes healthcare. Their professional commitment was evident in their clinical practice and in their efforts to maintain professional competence. Despite emphasising the importance of long-term, person-centred patient engagement in diabetes care, they face limited time to interact with patients and insufficient managerial support for their professional learning.
The findings underscore diabetes specialist nurses' need for organisational support, particularly from managers who value and actively promote person-centred care, as well as opportunities for continuous professional development. Taken together, such supportive measures could lay the groundwork for a sustainable primary healthcare system for diabetes in the future.