Implementation of a Standardized Approach to Diabetes Education
Abstract
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that Type 2 diabetes
mellitus (T2DM) is a serious health issue affecting over 24 million Americans. Adults with T2DM are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience complications of the disease such as heart disease and stroke. Efforts are needed to control the condition and prevent the complications. At a local community hospital in the southeast United States, a 2-year assessment revealed over 10,000 patients admitted with diabetes or diabetes-related complications. Staff nurses at the site were responsible for diabetes self-management education for T2DM patients at discharge; however, no standardized approach to discharge diabetes education was used. The purpose of this project was to educate the nursing staff on a standardized approach to T2DM patient education using the nurse education and transition model protocol. The education program was presented to 11 nurse participants during 3-inservice training sessions held over a 1-week period. A diabetes education checklist sheet (DECS) served to guide the standardized self- management discharge education. At the end of the training session, participants evaluated the quality of the session and their confidence in using the DECS. Ninety-one percent of the participants stated that they were confident or very confident in their ability to use the DECS after the inservice education and that they had the knowledge needed to use the DECS in discharge teaching. The project promotes positive social change through improved nurse knowledge and confidence in teaching T2DM patients at discharge, and through improved diabetes self-management education, potentially reducing the risk of T2DM complications.
