Education: Key to Managing Diabetes Essay

Key to Managing Diabetes Nebraska Wesleyan University Abstract Diabetes Is a chronic condition prevalent In the united states. Failure to manage the disease is costly in that It can cause individuals to have Increased commodities, reduced life expectancy, and extreme financial burdens. Educating the population enables individuals to avoid these pitfalls. Differing methods of education have been investigated and show promise of improved disease management.

These methods Include (a) open communication between physicians and their patients, allowing the attain to share in decision making regarding their own plan of care, and (b) nursing professionals communicating with patients on a routine basis via telephone to review disease interventions. 30th of these techniques have shown benefits such as improved compliance to the treatment plan leading to better health with fewer complications.

Keywords: diabetes, education, communication, disease management, compliance, follow-up Americans are being directly affected by a chronic disease called Diabetes Mellitus In phenomenal numbers. Approximately 24 million Americans have been diagnosed tit the disease while another 57 million nave been said to have pre-diabetic symptoms. It is estimated to cost the united States healthcare system $174 billion annually with costs only expected to rise (Bibb While prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus Is always the favorable option, control Is often the only choice.

Management is complicated and often overwhelming to sufferers. Patient embarrassment, lack of trust In the physicals, lack tot time during the clinical encounter, and miscommunication are a few of the influences leading to lack of needed knowledge . It is imperative that diabetics are educated, that they understand the various treatment options available to them, and that routine follow up cues are given. Using these interventions, ensures the patient avoids a myriad of pitfalls associated with diabetes. Education can start with the physicians. Once diagnosed, the patient needs to be provided with thorough written and verbal instructions regarding the disease process and the treatment. Maintaining an open line of communication with the physician Is Important so the patient will feel comfortable asking questions and ten provoker Is addle to teach at ten cognitive level AT ten patient “Multiplications is a significant issue affecting the quality of patient-physician communication”. An example of this would be the patient stops using the medication when the blood sugar was reported to be at a normal level.

This type of misunderstanding between physician and patient can lead to devastating effects-both physical and financial by causing hyperglycemia episodes. Healthcare professionals, including diabetic educators, dieticians, nurses, as well as pharmacists need to be involved in treating the diabetic patient. They will explain management tools such as blood sugar monitoring, medications, diet planning, exercise and interventions used at home to manage abnormal blood glucose levels. Health care professionals will give information regarding resources and options available to the diabetic. This information gives the patient a sense of independence.

An informed, confident patient is more inclined to adhere to the plan of care if they are able to take part in planning the regimen. Follow-up telephone calls to reinforce what the physicians and other diabetic educators have introduced is another approach proven to be beneficial. Moreover, since the lapse of time since the previous discussion, the attain may have new concerns and questions they would like addressed. These discussions would include reinforcement of diet, exercise, and medication adjustment recommendations as well as frequency of self-monitoring blood glucose levels”.

Research concludes when routine calls are placed to diabetic patients, the patients are more likely to adhere too healthy regimen. This in turn, better manages the blood glucose levels reducing the chances of developing complications (2003). This study revealed after routine telephone conversations with a nurse for 12 weeks, the Type 2 diabetic subjects had a decrease in their Habit by 1-2 percent points. It also revealed this trend to continue after one year of routine calls.

While “lifestyle modifications remain the best treatment for diabetes” education is the first and most important step towards that lifestyle change. Changing towards a healthy way of living comes from education as an intervention. Without education, the patient will likely underrepresented the disease, fail to conform to their treatment plan, and ultimately lead to more costly care because of the flux between chronic and acute treatments. Here lies the potential to prevent overwhelming psychological, physical, ND monetary expenditures- education is the key to diabetic management.

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