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What is Operation Diabetes?
Diabetes affects the health and wellbeing of people nationwide.
Currently, one in four people in the United States has diabetes, has a
family member with the disease, or will develop the disease. Of the 20.8
million people (7.0% of the population) in the United States with
diabetes, 6.2 million of them are undiagnosed. A large number are
undiagnosed because approximately 90% of diabetics have type 2 diabetes,
the form of disease with few to mild symptoms in its early stages.
While the early stages of the disease may be nearly symptom-free,
complications can arise, seriously threatening the health and wellness
of the individual. In fact, diabetes was the fifth leading cause of
death by disease in the United States in 2002. Overall, the risk for
death among people with diabetes is about 2 times that of people without
diabetes. Diabetes is also the leading cause of new blindness and vision
loss in adults creating up to 24,000 new cases a year from diabetic
neuropathy. Not only do diabetics often experience vision complications,
but many suffer from end stage renal failure (ESRD). In fact, diabetes
is the most common cause of ESRD. Cardiovascular disease is also 2 to 4
times more common in diabetics compared to the general public, and their
risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher. Over half of patients with
diabetes suffer from hypertension, and more than 82,000 amputations of a
foot or leg are performed due to peripheral vascular disease related to
diabetes.
A large portion of healthcare resources are spent on diabetes
complications. Annual healthcare costs for diabetics are nearly 3.6
times that of non-diabetics. Eight percent of hospital admissions and 3%
of all outpatient visits relate to diabetes. In 2002, $132 billion was
spent on the diabetic treatment. More than 50% of the cost directly
relates to medical treatment; the rest reflects indirect costs, for
example lost workdays, disability and premature death. In relation to
the total US healthcare expenditure, diabetes accounts for approximately
11% of that spent.
These alarming statistics shout concern among pharmacists, student
pharmacists and other healthcare providers. In an effort to prevent
long-term manifestations of the disease, the American Pharmacists
Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) has launched
Operation Diabetes sponsored by Rite Aid. Operation
Diabetes is a promotional campaign designed to increase awareness
of diabetes and the dangers associated with the disease, provide glucose
screening and monitoring, and promote pharmaceutical care in the
community. Our goal is not to diagnose diabetes, but rather to provide
information to the public in order for them to become more knowledgeable
about the disease and to be able to recognize signs and symptoms of
diabetes. As one of the most accessible health care professionals,
pharmacists can directly impact the management of diabetes in patients.
By directly involving pharmacists in diabetes management and screening,
we hope to help identify those who may not have been identified in the
past, help patients manage their diabetes, and ultimately prevent
long-term complications of the disease.
A planning guide is sent to each of the APhA-ASP chapters to help
them implement, manage and market a diabetes management and screening
campaign in communities nationwide. Included in the notebook are a
timeline that provides a step by step approach on how to run the
campaign and promotional materials that can be used for Operation
Diabetes. As student pharmacists and as future health care
providers, we can show how the pharmacy profession is an excellent
resource in helping combat morbidity and mortality associated with
diabetes.
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