Symposium on infections in the compromised host. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

By providing a supportive-educative atmosphere, the nurse can develop the patient's self-care agency. This is the patient's ability to learn and perform diabetes self-management routines. A vital part of diabetes self-management is the prevention of infection. Through the nurse's knowledge of the relationship between diabetes and infection and through the nursing intervention of patient education, the diabetic individual can integrate the avoidance of infection into self-management.