I would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk to you today. We really appreciate this invitation from the Standing Committee on Health.
Diabetes is clearly an invisible scourge that, like my colleagues said, affects many human lives.
All Canadians should have access to quality, safe care, regardless of where they live. We, nurses, play a very important role with those patients throughout their lives. Whether it is in terms of promotion, prevention or follow-up with clients, we have a close relationship with those types of patients. We will go as far as to adjust treatment or provide customized education, depending on each patient's specific needs.
Quebec nurses have 17 reserved activities, and their scope of practice is among the broadest in Canada. Yet since 2018, in Quebec, community care, including care for individuals living with diabetes in the community, is being taught only at the university level. However, contrary to what is happening in the other Canadian provinces, the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers issues licenses to both college applicants and university applicants. But one portion of the scope of practice that focuses on treating people with diabetes is not taught during initial training.
As my colleagues have said, the number of diabetes cases is on the rise. People stay in their community, where nurses must intervene to meet the needs of that vulnerable population.
It is absolutely essential for nurses to receive training that covers all the care related to that disease. You will understand that this is a major concern for us. That is why we are appealing to you today. We would like you to, in your considerations or your action plan, make a recommendation on the need to require initial training that covers all the needs of the population, including the needs of the diabetic population.
I will not repeat all the statistics my colleagues have put forward. We know that, when we can intervene quickly, our results are more beneficial. Right now, in my province, 830,000 people are living with diabetes, and 250,000 of them are unaware of it. We need to use the talent of each health care stakeholder to be able to quickly identify health problems.
Nurses play an important role. In the recommendations that will be put forward, you should ensure to use this entire field of practice in order to serve the population better. When that is done, the mortality and morbidity rates decrease. When a patient must undergo an amputation, that is a failure in terms of the care we have provided in the community. So quick intervention is needed to avoid complications, since they have consequences not only for the individual—which always awakens the nurse in me—but also on society as a whole, since those people cannot contribute as much as they would if we were able to keep them in better health.
There are significant gaps in the care provided to diabetics. Among other things, a number of people do not receive the required education on the disease. Once again, nurses can play an important role if they are given an opportunity to do so. By doing that, a certain number of risks are reduced. I think your committee had put forward the fact that 49% of people living with diabetes had not had a foot exam. Yet we know that, if we could intervene quickly, we could save members and human lives. The more knowledge we have and the more we are able to intervene quickly, the more we can prevent complications.
I would now like to quickly propose recommendations. I will try to be as efficient as my colleague and keep my presentation under five minutes.
Of course, what we want to put forward is the importance of prevention, the importance of promoting healthy life habits, the importance of education on diabetes and self-management, as well as the importance of keeping people in their communities.
All that requires us to use the entire scope of practice of nurses. To achieve that, a major strategy must be put forward and advanced practice nurses must be used. For example, I am thinking of specialized nurse practitioners. Expert nurses, nurses who work in the community, should also be used.
In Quebec, we think it is essential for all nurses to receive training on handling patients who need care in their community, especially those with diabetes. Ongoing training must be provided to ensure that patients receive the best possible care throughout their lives.
Thank you for your attention.