During our 9th week learning activities on chronic disease prevention and management in my MHST/NURS 601: Philosophical Foundations and Health Systems course, my classmate Jennifer Cumpsty and I worked together to compare the differences and to find similarities between Manitoba and Ontario in terms of the chronic disease of Diabetes.
According to Diabetes Canada, diabetes is a chronic, often debilitating and sometimes fatal disease, in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose in the blood. Diabetes leads to high blood sugar level, which can damage organs, blood vessels and nerves. The body needs insulin to use sugar as an energy source. Having high blood sugar can cause diabetes-related complications, like chronic kidney disease, foot problems, non-traumatic lower limb (leg, foot, toe, etc.) amputation, eye disease (retinopathy) that can lead to blindness, heart attack, stroke, anxiety, nerve damage, and erectile dysfunction (men) (About Diabetes, 2018).
Please see the following link which has a table that we generated as a result of our discussion which includes: key statistics, health impacts, policies, programs and services (surveillance, management and funding), as well as details of the Aboriginal population with regards to diabetes in both provinces.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X817HATcb4DfkMKfUdb4gLnXMyBPqxlQTDjY1ataGew/edit?usp=sharing
Below is a summary of our key findings from both Manitoba and Ontario.
Summary
Diabetes is a growing chronic disease in both Manitoba and Ontario with 28 and 30 percent of the population respectively having diabetes or prediabetes. There is significant cost to both the provincial health care systems of both provinces and well as to the individual. In both Manitoba and Ontario, out of pocket expenses are based on a percentage of income which affect their adherence to treatment. The projected increase in the population for 2026 is 37% in Manitoba but rises to 46% in Ontario. The long term chronic health impacts of diabetes on health are the same in both provinces. There are federal surveillance and funding programs that both provinces fall under. Each province has programs available at the individual level to educate and support behaviour to reduce the risk of diabetes, support health for those with diabetes and monitoring and care at the primary health care level. Both provinces also have additional programs to support the use of insulin pumps which further lead to better control during diabetes. Both provinces recognize the special needs of the Aboriginal population and have strategies in place in an attempt to address those needs. The rate of diabetes in the Aboriginal population is 3-5 times higher than the rest of the Canadian population, and diagnosis are made at a younger age. Manitoba was awarded $19 million from the federal government in October 2017 for diabetes care in the Aboriginal population as it was recognized that Manitoba has the largest Aboriginal population in Canada.
What chronic diseases are apparent in your region and how are they surveillance and managed? Is there funding available for research, preventative and management measures or treatment of these diseases?
References
“About Diabetes”. (2018). Diabetes Canada. Retrieved http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/types-of-diabetes
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