Diabetes Testing Essay Example

It can be challenging for both families and health caregivers to manage the daily demands of diabetic patients (American Diabetes Association, 2015). This is because medications must be administered at specific times of the day and in a strict number of times. Moreover, the health care workers have to monitor the treatment process continuously. Apart from the challenge of having to take daily medication whether they like it or not, diabetes patients also have to deal with discrimination. At times, they are viewed as a burden to the society, especially during their sunset years. Thus, organizations such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have been established to assist the neglected diabetes patients by advocating for their rights to fair treatment and care (American Diabetes Association, 2015). This ensures that the diabetic patients lead a healthy and productive life. Diabetes is a manageable condition provided the patient gets adequate medical and social support. Given this, the paper sets to discuss diabetes testing and general diabetes nursing care provided after the tests.

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Blood tests are the most preferred way of getting to know if a patient has prediabetes, diabetes, or gestational diabetes (NIDDK, 2016). The sole intention of examining blood samples is to find out the glucose levels. If higher above the optimum levels, then there should be cause for concern. It is appropriate for any individual to seek medical attention when wanting to test for diabetes since over the counter techniques such as using a blood glucose meter would not test diabetes. Moreover, it is an inappropriate and potentially dangerous self-diagnostic technique for diabetes. Diabetes testing can be done to any individual showcasing symptoms of the disease or who have been exposed to the risk factors (NIDDK, 2016). Early testing and diagnosis are essential since it enables health care professionals to treat and manage the disease at the right time. Late diagnosis poses the risk of further complications that may require hospital admissions and expensive care. Early diagnosis and treatment also improve the health outcomes of the patients. Through diabetes testing, health care professionals get to discover prediabetes and hence advise their patients to change their lifestyles probably by reducing weight so that they would prevent type 2 diabetes.

Children and young adults undergo type 1 diabetes testing (Kuo et al., 2015). Type 1 diabetes can run in families, and it would be necessary for the family members of the diabetic patients to undergo testing even though they do not portray any signs or symptoms of the disease. This provides clinical assurance that the rest of the family members are okay. Those who get to showcase any symptoms, later on, would be diagnosed and treated appropriately.

It is recommended for an adult 45 years and over to undergo routine testing for type 2 diabetes (Kuo et al., 2015). Other categories of individuals who require type 2 diabetes testing include overweight or obese 19 to 44-year-olds with one or more other diabetes risk factors. Women who previously had gestational diabetes should undergo the test as well. It is common for type 2 diabetes to develop in adults, but there is a likelihood for obese 10 to 18-year-old children to contract the disease. Other risk factors that enhance the chances of type 2 diabetes development in children include low birth weight and a mother having diabetes while they were pregnant with them (American Diabetes Association, 2015). Therefore, it is advisable for all pregnant mothers to take a blood glucose test between 24 and 28 weeks of their pregnancy. A gestational diabetic test is an essential element of prenatal care since it promotes the well-being of both the mother and the unborn child.

The A1C and the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) tests are the most common used by health care professionals to diagnose diabetes (Munshi et al., 2016). In particular cases, the random plasma glucose (RPG) test is used (NIDDK, 2016). The FPG test gives a measure of the blood glucose level at the current time. It is best for a patient to take the test in the morning after at least eight hours of fasting. The A1C test gives a three-month average figure of the blood glucose levels in the patient. When it comes to using the test to determine the type of diabetes one has, the doctor would consider age if the patient is anemic or has any other blood problem. The A1C test is not ideal for anemic patients since it does not provide accurate results (American Diabetes Association, 2018). Doctors use the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or the glucose challenge test to examine for gestational diabetes in pregnant mothers.

Once tested and disease diagnosis is made, the patient then begins the treatment journey which requires the help of nurses (American Diabetes Association, 2015). Nurses are essential stakeholders in the health sector since they administer medication and take care of the patients on a daily basis. They also provide emotional support to the patients and keep a record of their progress. In developed countries, clinical nurses get to be divided into diabetes nurses, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and generalist nurses having specified responsibilities in the provision of care to diabetes patients. Nurse practitioners take part in patient education and counseling geared toward health promotion and disease prevention (American Diabetes Association, 2018).

On the other hand, clinical nurse specialists take up the administrative, managing, and leading role in patient care. The entire group of nurses has a role in providing the patients and families with the social and psychological support required to manage diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic illness that can last for years meaning that the families need the right support so that they would never despair.

Nurses' primary responsibility is to provide primary, secondary, and tertiary care so that diabetic patient would modify their lifestyle and prevent further complications (American Diabetes Association, 2015). Several studies and clinical trials have been conducted to make a comparison between care delivered by physicians and that delivered by nurses. Munshi et al. (2016) confirmed that there were insignificant differences in the efficacy of care and health outcomes provided by the two. However, the studies revealed that physicians provided evidence that is more acceptable. Other studies indicated that trained nurses are the most appropriate personnel needed to provide patient education and promote societal health (Kuo et al., 2015). Nurses who monitored the adhesion of patients and provided therapeutic recommendations reduced not only the re-hospitalization rate but also the yearly health care costs for heart failure patients recently discharged from the clinic. Moreover, facilitating self-care through providing necessary education has proved beneficial in reducing unnecessary hospital visits. Consequently, the waiting time and costs related to the unnecessary hospital visits would be reduced.

Providing quality bedside care to diabetic patients requires strict adherence to safety protocol (Munshi et al., 2016). Nurses should crosscheck the patients' medications to ensure that there was no deliberate stoppage of the administration of chronic forms of the drugs. Moreover, the crosschecking enables the nurses to confirm the safety of new prescriptions. The patient and family should be able to review prescriptions for new or changed medication together with the nurses as well. The medication reconciliation process is important since it ensures that patients get the right medication and in the right quantities (American Diabetes Association, 2018). Administering wrong medications in excessive quantities jeopardizes the treatment process, thereby risking the patient's life. While providing care to patients with infectious diseases, the nurses should always wear disposable N95 respirator, while the patients should wear surgical masks. This prevents the nurse from inhaling airborne disease-causing particles.

Adverse outcomes for both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia include death (American Diabetes Association, 2018). Therefore, nurses should work towards preventing both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia by closely monitoring the medication and dietary recommendations for the patients. Hospitals should promote the shortest and safest patient stays that would prevent the development of acute complications and readmissions. Nursing care should not be confined to a hospital setting but should also be concentrated in an outpatient setting. Nurses are nowadays involved in various levels of the health care system from the first level involving individual, school, and nursing center care to the fifth level involving rehabilitation centers. Kuo et al. (2015) believe that trained nurses working under the instructions of diabetologists could significantly improve the health outcomes of diabetes patients.

Conclusion

In conclusion, diabetes is a manageable condition provided the patient gets adequate medical and social support. The paper has discussed various diabetes testing techniques for testing type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and prediabetes. Type 1 diabetes testing should be done on children and young adults, as well as the family members of the patients. Adults aged 45 and above should get tested for type 2 diabetes. Moreover, 19 and 44-year-olds who are obese or showcase other diabetes risk factors should be tested. Pregnant women should be tested for gestational diabetes to improve their wellbeing and that of the unborn child. Performing the fasting plasma glucose test and the A1C test are the most common diagnostic techniques for diabetes. Doctors occasionally use the random plasma glucose test as well. After diagnosis, proper nursing care needs to be established. This includes using respirators and surgical masks while providing bedside care to patients with communicable diseases. Moreover, the medication should be administered correctly and in the right amounts. Lastly, individuals should embrace early diabetic testing so that they would avoid further complications associated with late diagnosis.

References

American Diabetes Association. (2015). 13. Diabetes care in the hospital, nursing home, and skilled nursing facility. Diabetes Care, 38(Supplement 1), S80-S85.

American Diabetes Association. (2018). 14. Diabetes Care in the Hospital: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2018. Diabetes Care, 41(Supplement 1), S144-S151.

Kuo, Y. F., Goodwin, J. S., Chen, N. W., Lwin, K. K., Baillargeon, J., & Raji, M. A. (2015). Diabetes mellitus care provided by nurse practitioners vs primary care physicians. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 63(10), 1980-1988.

Munshi, M. N., Florez, H., Huang, E. S., Kalyani, R. R., Mupanomunda, M., Pandya, N., ... & Haas, L. B. (2016). Management of diabetes in long-term care and skilled nursing facilities: a position statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes care, 39(2), 308-318.NIDDK. (2016, November 30). Diabetes Tests & Diagnosis | NIDDK. Retrieved January 2, 2019, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/tests-diagnosis