Essay on Education as a Prevention Strategy for Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic State

Introduction

Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS) is a complication of diabetes mellitus. The complication is characterized by high blood sugar levels that result in high osmolarity (Frank & Solomon, 2016). The condition is symptomized by weakness, dehydration, vision impairments, and altered consciousness levels as well as leg cramps. The onset of HHS is typically marked over days up to weeks (Wolfsdorf et al, 2014). HHS if not handled in its early stage, it may lead to complications such as seizures and mesenteric artery occlusion.

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Overview of the Program

Education is a significant strategy in the prevention of HHS. Health education is a tool for fighting all odds and attitudes in management and treatment of diseases. In HHS, education can be used to instill positive beliefs and practices in patients as well as medical caregivers (Frank & Solomon 2016). To prevent HHS, it is significant to tackle the problem in the initial stages rather than waiting for the condition to reach its chronic stage that can be untoward.

Patients may require basic knowledge and skills for preventive measures and empowerment. Patient education and awareness about the condition are so critical in preventing and handling emergencies that can be controlled by a patient without reaching a medical caregiver (Scott, 2015). Basically, with knowledge on preventing for managing emergency occasions, a patient can maintain their health status.

According to Frank and Solomon (2016), the primary objective of education on HHS prevention is to have patients with essential skills as well as developing positive attitudes towards medical practices. People that are at risk of developing diabetes should always be encouraged to have tested and always monitor their blood sugar levels. Early knowledge about the onset of diabetes marks a significant point in the treatment of the disease as the disease can easily be managed rather than at its chronic stage. Medical care providers should put health education as part of their roles and mandate in their daily operations (Scott, 2015). Education can prevent health disparities at some levels as well as reduce clinical visits by patients for cases that can be handled easily at home without much efforts or presence of a medical caregiver.

Population on Target

Health education as a prevention strategy for HHS is a target to the general populace. Patients, people at risk, children as well as the affected (those whose family members have diabetes). When patients are educated on the significance and ways to prevent the development of HHS, they will always practice behaviors that contribute positively towards their health. Also, patients can use the same knowledge to educate their family members and friend on the same thus reaching a broad audience. If children are educated on prevention of HHS in diabetes patients, they can help in case their family members suffer from the disease. Also, children can use the knowledge and skills to develop positive eating behavior as well as practice to prevent the development of diabetes. People at risk need education about diabetes to enable them to practice healthy behavior that can protect them from developing the disease. The affected population is those whose family members or friends suffer from the condition (Frank & Solomon 2016). Having necessary skills and knowledge in the management of the condition is of significance as the persons can quickly intervene and give a hand of help to patients with diabetes during emergency cases.

Apparently, a society with knowledge and skills to handle health matters, morbidity and mortality rates can significantly be reduced. As aforementioned, it is essential for a community to have vast knowledge on how to handle health matters as well as how to prevent the occurrence of diseases(Frank & Solomon 2016). It is paramount also to target school going children as well as teens on education about diabetes.

Health Promotion of Diabetes Education and Clinical Significance

Health promotion is a significant health topic that helps in the development of positive attitudes and health behaviors that contribute to safe health.Health promotion is the process of enabling the society members to improve and have control over their health matters. The program goes beyond individual focus and targets a wide range of environmental and social intervention on health matters. As aforementioned, it is evident that health promotion helps reach a wide range of populace over a shorter period rather than individual health education. Health education and health promotion bear a similar role in the society as well as patient care and diseases prevention (Frank & Solomon 2016). However, health education may base on individual patients or a group of patients, whereas, health promotion goes beyond individuals and targets the community thus a broad range of audience.

Apparently, health promotion has not been having a positive view of the society over years because the community members may be viewing the program as time-consuming. It is encouraging that the currently, mediums of communications have developed, and thus a wide range of audience can easily be reached at any time rather than the past generations where health promotion and education entailed community gatherings (Frank & Solomon 2016). Through technology, health messages can be passed through the internet or mobile phones via texts and reach a broad audience in seconds, thus marking an achievement ion the health sector.

Clinically, health promotion is of great significance. Patients can be educated easily on essential knowledge and skills of preventing diseases and conditions such as HHS. With knowledge and skills in prevention and management of such conditions, patients do not need to have medical professions intervention to handle minor emergency cases, and instead, they can handle the conditions at their homes. Thus, unnecessary clinical visits can be significantly reduced.

Effects of Health Education on Diabetic Patients and Community

Kasper, et al., (2015), in their article, they state that patient education is a crucial strategy for the improvement of the health of an individual as well as the community. Health education on patients helps a patient acquire necessary knowledge and skills of handling health matters as well as emergency cases. It is paramount that health disparities can also be reduced through health education as people can easily manage their conditions personally rather than waiting for medical professions to intervene.

Positive health behaviors, as well as attitudes, can be instilled in patients and the communities at large and thus improve the health status of the community. The effects of health education bear positive response from the community and health professionals as the workload of clinicians can be reduced significantly (Kasper et al., 2016).

Besides, everyone has a belief as well as a perspective towards health matters. Education plays a significant role in changing a person's perspective towards health. Thus it is notable that when one is educated and given skills on management of diabetes, the past perception towards the health matter. For example, if one had a belief that disease of r condition cannot be handled without a medical profession, through education he believes can change (Pasquel & Umpierrez 2014). Health education aims at making people understand the scope of their health conditions as well as how to manage the conditions, thus handle the HHS at home alone.

According to Wolfsdorf et al, (2014), health education may also entail informing a patient about the details about a given condition, for instance, in this case, HSS in diabetes. Education can easily instill patience in a patient as he/she will be given the necessary knowledge about the condition and as a result, one can understand the disease occurrence treatment and management. With an understanding about HSS, a patient can be patient and wait for the complete treatment of the disease.

Health education is an integral part of health promotion, the essence of health education to a community is an assumption that the educational impact can shape behaviors of inter-subject variabilities impact. Consequently, it is asserted that populations belong to paramount conditions and the health of individuals can be changed and improved through education on health matters. The health of community members has significance either socially or clinically and therefore considered as a whole section of a high quality of healthcare (Pasquel & Umpierrez 2014). Health education thus affects individuals and the community by improving the quality of care and treatment of diseases.

Effects of Health Education on Healthcare Systems as a Whole

The perception of patients is typical that the medical staff's opinion on healthcare matters and is always the best. Such kinds of expectations necessitate the need for primary care staffs and physicians in the prevention and shaping of health-oriented attitudes in the community. Through education to the patients by the medical professions can play a significant role in instilling a positive attitude and practices that promote health to the society (Piepoli et al., 2016).

As aforementioned, health education plays a critical role in reducing the cases of clinical visits that are unnecessary. The primary task for education in healthcare is primarily to support the creation of conditions and environment for change, competence growth in some health professionals, groups as well as the sphere of independent implementation of healthcare policies.

It is evident also that some policies implemented in the healthcare systems are not followed to the letter. Through health education, patients can learn about the policies that affect them and thus enact them in their behaviors and practices. Education reduces the workload of physicians and healthcare fraternity as well as in behavioral changes on patients. Through health education, health care providers also get experience in their daily operations in healthcare setups. Education can also be conducted to medical providers in the form of seminars. Health professionals also need the education to gain experience and competence in their jobs. Thus health education about HHS on healthcare providers also provides a base of argument and expertise about the condition (Wolfsdorf et al, 2014). The education to healthcare providers can be on evidence-based practices knowledge and thus enhance the nursing practice on patient care thus improving the quality of care on HHS patients.

Program Goals

According to McKenzie et al., (2016), prevention of HHS emergencies is typically about keeping a focus on the common precipitating factors and encouraging patients through health education to understand how to avoid the dominant factors or instituting interventions that can help prevent progression of HHS to more chronic levels. It is paramount to instill knowledge and skills on patients with diabetes so that they can efficiently manage the untoward conditions that affect them. The intervention of health education towards the management and treatment of HHS aims towards developing a cooperative spirit in patients with diabetes. Through collaboration between patients and the medical caregivers, it is evident that the quality of care can be enormously be improved. According to studies, it is established that intervention of medical professions into the management and treatment of HHS with their patients creates a friendly environment and attitude toward the practices. As a result, the quality of care improves significantly and thus serving the best interest of patients.

According to Healy et al., (2015), the goal of education on diabetes patients is to prevent comp...