How to Implement an Inpatient Diabetes Education Program

Diabetes affects 23.6 million children and adults in the United States as of 2007, with 57 million cases of pre-diabetes and 1.6 million new cases diagnosed each year. It is a lifelong disease caused by the body's inability to control blood sugar through insulin production. Complications from the disease include diabetic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar coma, a life-threatening condition, as well as long-term complications such as coronary artery disease, diabetic nephropathy, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Constant monitoring and well-educated maintenance can successfully mitigate the chances of developing damaging complications from diabetes.

Instructions

• 1

  Train a team of diabetes educators. Educators should rehearse a short standardized presentation that introduces the patients to the nature of the disease, the risks presented by the disease, how to self-monitor and when to seek immediate medical attention. Depending on your specific needs, the diabetes educators can be nurses or intensively trained non-medical specialists.

• 2

  Prepare presentation packets. The presentation packet should include graphics and bullet points to assist in the educator's initial presentation. Such aids help the patients focus on the information, as well as providing a reference that they can use after discharge. Include supplemental materials such as sample menus, dangerous symptoms for which the patient must watch, and information about local support groups.

• 3

  Role-play to practice for questions. Patients who are learning that they have a life-long condition such as diabetes often ask unpredictable questions. Your educators should spend plenty of time increasing their understanding of diabetes and living with diabetes in order to better field questions from patients. Requiring educators to role-play gives them confidence that they can field patients questions during training and allows them to share their experience with other educators during re-education meetings.