Educating supervisors of employees with diabetes.

The worksite presents special challenges not only for employees with diabetes, but also for their supervisors. Supervisors wonder whether certain behaviors are willful misconduct or indicative of health problems, as well as if and how to accommodate employees with diabetes to meet the needs of the employees and the company, within the law. The purpose of this research was to pilot test an innovative educational program for supervisors of employees with diabetes to benefit employees' health and diabetes control while meeting the legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Nine supervisors completed a 6-hour program that included innovative teaching strategies--"living the life" of a person with diabetes for 2 days and case studies to practice decision making according to the ADA. The program increased supervisors' reported self-efficacy for supervising employees with diabetes and should improve work life for employees with diabetes, ultimately decreasing employers' health care costs.

Employee perceptions of diabetes education needs: a focus group study.

The purpose of this descriptive non-experimental research was to assess employee perceptions of desired diabetes education through focus groups. Thirteen employees of a southern university in three focus groups identified many standard and some emerging educational topics of interest including healthier food choices when eating out, increasing activity, deciding whether highly advertised "special" products for diabetes were necessary, and recognizing the importance of obesity among children. The employees were willing to attend group meetings related to diabetes, but not to pay for them. The information will be used to plan an intervention to promote diabetes prevention and self-management in a worksite environment where diabetes costs are rising rapidly, and to support the need for a university wellness program. Occupational health nurses can address both employees' needs and employers' costs through such a program.

Culturally competent scholarship in nursing research.

PURPOSE: To determine the degree to which research reports published in major nursing research journals reflected Meleis's eight criteria for culturally competent scholarship. DESIGN: Analytic review of 167 studies dealing with race, ethnicity, or culture from four nursing research journals, 1992-2000. METHOD: Four reviewers selected, abstracted, and scored research articles independently, in pairs, and as a group. FINDINGS: The mean and median Meleis scores were 2.92 and 3.00 on an 8-point scale. All scores were assigned at least once. Contextuality, relevance, and communication style were most frequently present; disclosure, empowerment, and time were least frequently present. IMPLICATIONS: Assignment of Meleis scores is feasible and useful for evaluating cultural competence of research reports.

Contributions of children to the care of adults with diabetes.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence of child caregivers among adults with diabetes and the type of assistance they provide. METHODS: In this exploratory descriptive study, 51 diverse adults with diabetes from 9 clinics in 3 states completed a survey in English or Spanish about themselves and their child caregivers. Topics addressed in the survey were the duration and types of assistance, the children's education about diabetes, and the impact of children's caregiving on attendance at school and work. RESULTS: The occurrence of child caregiving for adults with diabetes was 15.7%, and greatest for Hispanics. Most adults and caregivers were female; 14 adults reported more than 1 child caregiver. The children ranged in age from 5 to 18 years and began caregiving at a mean age of 11. Children provided from 1 to 10 services, including planning meals, drawing up or administering medications, testing blood glucose, interpreting results, and transporting. Most children provided care several times a week, and nearly half had no education about diabetes care. CONCLUSIONS: Children of both sexes and 4 racial/ethnic groups provided a broad range of services to adults with diabetes with little preparation. Diabetes educators should consider if and how they can assess and include child caregivers in diabetes education.