This World Diabetes Day, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is calling for more nurses to be trained to help people living with diabetes to understand and manage their condition.

Over 460 million people are currently estimated to be living with diabetes worldwide, a number expected to rise to 578 million by 2030. Last year alone, the condition was responsible for 4.2 million deaths and at least $760 billion in health expenditure – 10% of the global total spent on healthcare. The impact of diabetes has come into even sharper focus this year, with half of the people diagnosed with COVID-19 in some regions found to be living with the condition.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of a global shortfall of 5.9 million nurses and indicated that nursing graduates will need to increase by 8% a year to overcome the deficit by 2030.

IDF is urging national governments to respond and recruit enough nurses to help care for the growing numbers living with diabetes and to prioritize the role nurses play by investing in their professional development.

To mark World Diabetes Day 2020, IDF is encouraging nurses and other health professionals to improve their understanding of diabetes care by offering free access to its IDF School of Diabetes online course on the role of the diabetes educator. Certified by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), the IDF School of Diabetes is a digital platform that delivers high-standard, evidence-based diabetes education for healthcare professionals. Upon completion, learners will earn one EACCME credit and a certificate of completion.

World Diabetes Day 2020 is supported by AstraZeneca, Lilly Diabetes, Merck, Pfizer-MSD Alliance, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi.