Promoting Diabetes Self-Management - Essay Example

Running Head: Promoting Diabetes Self Management Name of the University: Name of the Student: Name of the Lecturer: Subject Code and Name: Date submitted: Promoting Diabetes Self Management Introduction Diabetes can be defined as lack of insulin, defect in insulin production or structure or resistance to insulin which leads to increase in the levels of glucose, a condition termed as hyperglycemia. This increase in the amount of sugars in the blood has several consequences, some which are immediate and others are long term. For fear of development of the potential complications, diabetes should be managed adequately either pharmacologically or by behavioral change which will include the change in diet. In the western countries, there has been a recent increase in the prevalence of obesity and overweight, which has been associated with an increase in the prevalence of Diabetes. The increases are related to one another in that increase in the weight of an individual leads to resistance to insulin. According to Holmström and Rosenqvist (2004: 212), the control of diabetes needs a patient to understand diabetes and how it is managed. They need to set their own goals and values, helped by the health care provider which will act as a guide to them. They need to understand their condition well which will enable them to understand the importance of managing their condition. As a result, the patients will control their sugars adequately which is the most important thing in the disease management. Although there are many pharmacological treatments available currently, the patient modification of eating habits is the most important mode of management. It is possible to control diabetes type 2, by the modification of the diet. Therefore, diet modification can significantly lower the need for the pharmacological interventions which are usually very expensive and therefore reducing the cost of treatment. In addition, diet modification reduces the chances of development of complications effectively reducing the need for hospitalization. The successful treatment of the disease requires a patient who is very cooperative in the management of the patient. More cooperative patients will have better controlled sugars as compared to those patients who are not corporative. Some patients have been managed purely on diet modification requiring no other pharmacological intervention. Currently, the management of diabetes has shifted from the authoritative way of dealing with a patient to a more patient centered mechanism in which the patient understands why he or she is doing something rather than a situation where patient does something because he or she has been instructed to do so. This is not just for diabetes alone but also involves the management of other illnesses which are chronic in nature. Most of the decisions concerning the health of the patient are usually done by the patient and not the health care provider. In dealing with diabetes, the patient needs to be empowered. It is however very difficult to empower a patient but the nurse can develop a strategy which will assist in the process of empowerment. This empowerment seems less useful in the management of the acute diabetic episodes but the anticipation of these acute episodes and preparation for them is a very crucial part of management of diabetes. In addition to this, the nurses who take care of the critically ill patient can give the patient an opportunity to make a participation in the management of their condition and therefore make the patient start cooperating immediately he or she is able to do so (Funnel, 2004: 201). In the day care, the patient should be informed of when to know he or she is likely to develop the acute complications, the signs and symptoms associated with the development of these illnesses and the measurement of the blood glucose levels. He should also be told when to contact the health care provider when an emergency occurs and which health facility should he visit. This empowers a patient adequately in managing this acute conditions and although the patient can not treat himself or herself, his corporation will make the health care provider have an easy time in dealing with the emergency. In the acute complication, the patient should also be taught on how to reduce fever, how he can determine his blood glucose levels and the mechanism of injecting himself insulin which will help the patient control the blood sugars (Funnel 2004: 201). These are technical management skills which will need corporation of the patient as they will need strict adherence to the guidelines which have been set. If the patient makes a mistake, the complications can easily arise and can even be life threatening. This therefore rises the need to ensure that there is patient support in the management of his or her condition. Despite being instructed by the health care providers on how to deal with their conditions, most of the diabetics are not able to follow those instructions. Most of the patients will be given enough instructions on how they can deal with their condition. But they usually come back in complications which indicate clearly that they have not adhered to the advice they were given. The healthcare provider will notice that the patient’s levels of glucose have not been maintained in the recent past as evidenced by some tests like the glycated hemoglobin levels. This is especially a useful test in the type 1 diabetes which can be able to detect compliance among patients. Some patients may deny not adhering to the self directed treatment modalities while it is very clear that they did adhere while others will openly admit that they have not been adherent to the self management. This is a big challenge as it increases the disease burden in the patient and also increases the workload for the health care provider. The numbers of health care providers who are able to focus on the individual needs of the patients are very few. According to Holmström, and Rosenqvist (2008), the number of health care professionals who are able to focus on the individual requirements, dealing the patient as himself is about eleven percent. Health care providers take less time to understand the individual needs of the patients they are dealing with before they can give advice. This is maybe because of lack of enough time for patient interaction with the healthcare professional who maybe wants to finish with one patient and deal with another. The result is that the health care provider will not take time to understand the individual characteristics of one patient suffering from diabetes and even the chronic illnesses. Therefore, all the patients are given a standardized counseling regardless of their individual differences between each of them. Special attention to the individual characteristics is very useful. Healthcare professional should dedicate his or her time in explaining the patient his condition. With a full understanding of his condition, the patient is educated on how to manage that condition as an individual and elaborate very well the dangers which may arise as a result of failure to adhere. The patient is given an individual advice, special attention given to the prevailing medical condition and the various differences between the patients. Although this may seem to be a task which needs more time and wasting a lot of time for the nurse, in the long run, it will reduce the need for hospitalization for that patient and therefore reduce the time which the nurse will waste in dealing with the patient again. Conclusion In conclusion, the patient cooperation is a very important component of management of the disease. The cooperation of the patient is a function of the patient and the healthcare provider who is attending the patient. A good nurse who gives proper guidance and counseling to a patient about his or her condition, while giving special attention to the individual needs of the patient. Those patients who been counseled can easily manage their condition without the need of much care from the nurse. The problem faced currently in the management of diabetes is the inability of health care providers to provide counseling on individual basis which has better results in patient’s adherence. Therefore healthcare providers should dedicate their time in giving individualized counseling to the diabetic patients. Bibliographies Funnel, Martha. M. 2004. Patient Empowerment. Critical Care Nurse Q, 27(2), 2010-204 Holmström, I. & Rosenqvist, U. (2004). Interventions to support reflection and learning: a qualitative study. Learning in Health and Social Care 3, (4) 203–212 Piia, J, Pilvikki, A., Risto. K., Aulikki, Nissinen et al. 2006. The dilemma of patient responsibility for lifestyle change: Perceptions among primary care physicians and nurses, Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 2007; 25: 244_249. Read More