Increase in Diabetic Blood Sugars - Research Paper Example

In the former, insulin dosage has to be carefully titrated in order to keep an optimum level of glucose in blood so that associated complications are not triggered. In the latter, quantity and type of food intake have to be optimized and required medication/s taken in order to keep the blood glucose level at an appropriate level. However, as this monitoring has to be done on an almost daily basis, either by the patient himself/herself, or by the attending healthcare professional, it becomes cumbersome for both as the frequent jabs are irritating and accuracy of the measuring instrument and reagents are critical factors.

It therefore becomes essential for a trained nursing professional to be thoroughly competent in the art so that no errors occur while monitoring and taking care of diabetic patients. In the past such tests used to involve detailed and laborious time consuming procedures in the laboratory in which the results took some time to be delivered. However, with the recent advent of auto analyzer technologies and portable blood glucose monitoring instruments, it has become a relatively easy task. The operation of such instruments however need to be error free and mastered individually by every nursing practitioner.

Problem Statement It has been observed that student nurses’ involved in ADN Programs are susceptible to medication errors due to paucity of training and lack experience in handling instruments during initial years of their practice. It therefore becomes essential to familiarize and train them thoroughly in the art of handling diagnostic and medication equipment which they are going to encounter in their respective areas of practice. A nurse educator should therefore ensure that the students’ under her supervision are exposed to all nuances of the area of practice they are being trained in.

This study will endeavor to uncover any lacunae in the student nurses being trained for handling diabetic patients. Purpose of the Study To ensure that the students are well versed with the technical intricacies of handling diabetic patients and confident of handling diagnostic equipment in order to monitor blood glucose levels. Evaluation of their skills after exposure to a simulated scenario for monitoring blood glucose levels. Significance of the Study Well trained nurses are the lifeline of diabetic patients as they are the ones supervising them directly.

A hypoglycemic crisis can be life threatening and unbridled hyperglycemia can lead to other medical complications. Apt and accurate handling of monitoring equipment can therefore be a life saving practice. Research Question(s) 1. To find out whether the student nurses’ are capable of handling diagnostic and monitoring equipment and taking informed decisions while handling diabetic patients. 2. To check the awareness of student nurses’ about the importance of risks due to medication error/s and their sequel while monitoring diabetic patients after exposure to a simulated scenario.

Literature Review Diabetes is diagnosed by its typical symptoms and confirmed by measurement of plasma glucose. Measurement after 8-12 hours of fasting (fasting plasma glucose [FPG]), or 2 hours after ingestion of a concentrated glucose solution (oral glucose tolerance testing [GTT]) are the tests employed for diagnosis (Crandall, 2007). Type I diabetes is primarily insulin