Evidence-Based Practice for Type 2 Diabetes Care - Research Paper

Introduction

Evidence-based practice is an approach in the clinical setting that combines the best evidence from well-reviewed studies, patient's values, and preferences in deciding on patient-centered care. It involves the location and assessment of data from reliable databases. Type 2 Diabetes will be managed through evidence-based practice to ensure positive outcomes. This paper focuses on identifying and analyzing the credible evidence that may be used as the basis for applying an evidence-based approach in diagnosing and managing Type 2 Diabetes.

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Applying Evidence-Based Approach

The diagnosis that will benefit from the evidence-based approach is Type 2 Diabetes. It is an illness that impairs how the body utilizes the blood sugar. Research shows that the condition is mostly caused by the body's resistance to glucose or inadequate production of insulin (Kajal, Cadet, Hirani, & Thomas, 2018). The illness mostly affects adults above 45 years. Past studies suggest that the most common symptoms of the condition include frequent urination, extreme thirst, fatigue, and slow healing sores (Blaslov, Naranda, Kruljac, & Renar, 2018). Patients also have increased hunger, blurred vision, and itchy hands or feet. Type 2 Diabetes is diagnosed using the Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. The test specifies the average glucose level for the past two months. The other tests include a random blood sugar test, fasting blood sugar test, and oral glucose tolerance (Mortenius, Hildingh, & Fridlund, 2016). The treatment comprises of diabetes medication, weight loss, blood sugar tracking, and healthy eating.

Applying an evidence-based approach in diagnosing and managing Type 2 Diabetes is essential as it enables the nurses to make well-founded decisions regarding patient care. The approach also makes the nurses stay updated about the new medical protocols of managing the condition (Chatterjee, Khunti, & Davies, 2017). It also enhances the patient's outcome from the care as the nurse researches for the documented interventions that suit the profiles of the patients. Moreover, it allows patient engagement in the treatment where the patients can share their values, preferences, and suggestion of how they want to go on with the treatment.

Criteria to Determine the Credibility of the Sources

In deciding the credibility of a source, one should consider its timeliness. The nurse should check whether the source has been published recently in the last five years. A credible source is the one that has been published in the last five years. Additionally, one should consider the authority of the source. An authoritative resource should come from an author or an organization that has authority in the field of nursing (Sorenson, 2016). It should also be peer-reviewed. The source should also answer the question of whether it has enough documentation, footnotes, bibliographies, and credits. The resource should also be relevant to the diagnosis in question. When determining the relevance, one should go through the abstract to assess whether it is related to the diagnosis of the study. In evaluating the credibility of a website, one should assess the professionalism displayed by it. The credible sources have a professional look than personal ones.

Analysis of the Credibility and Relevance of the Sources within the Diagnosis

Blaslov, Naranda, Kruljac & Renar, (2018) discuss the complexity of Type 2 Diabetes within pathophysiology. The authors also describe the development of pharmacotherapy past insulin. They further describe a wide spectrum of medication that is supported by evidence to have a beneficial outcome. The source is current, and it is peer-reviewed. It is also cited by other researchers studying the condition.

Additionallly, Chatterjee, Khunti, & Davies, (2017), describe the risk factors and the prevalence of Diabetes while providing evidence to support the claims. They also describe the current developments in diagnosing and managing the conditions. The source is current, as it has been published within the past five years. It is also peer-reviewed. The source is also related to the condition of the study as it describes all aspects relating to the condition, ranging from risk factors, signs and symptoms, and the treatment. It is relevant to the topic of study.

Kajal, G. C., Cadet, M. J., Hirani, S., & Thomas, T. (2018) describes a clinical guideline to the nursing practitioners on how to manage Type 2 Diabetes in the primary settings. The authors suggest that the condition requires continuous medical management. The source is credible, as it has been published recently within the past five years. It is also peer-reviewed to provide reliable evidence relating to the diagnosis.

Kumar, Nandhini, Kamalanathan, Sahoo, & Vivekanadan (2016) suggest criteria to diagnose Type 2 Diabetes. The authors analyze the scientific evidence regarding the justification of the different criteria. The source analyses various studies involving some of the techniques that identify the threshold of the glycaemic measurements. The source is credible as it is related to the diagnosis. It is current, as it has been published within the last five years. The resource is also peer-reviewed as it analyses different studies relating to the diagnosis.

Moreover, Marin-Penalver, Martin-Timon, Sevillano-Collantes, & del Canizo-Gomez, (2016), describe the management of Type 2 Diabetes. They suggest oral and injectable treatments that have been proven through management algorithms established to lessen the advancement of the illness. It provides an updated list of drugs with benefits and limitations. The source is credible as it has been published within the past five years. It is also related to the diagnosis of the study.

However, the most useful evidence is by Chatterjee, Khunti, & Davies, (2017). The source describes all the aspects of the condition. The authors suggest the risk factors, the signs, and indicators of Type 2 Diabetes while providing evidence to support the claims. It also describes the recent medication protocols for the illness. The source involves a review of many studies to come up with a well-founded decision vital for evidence-based practice.

The Importance of Incorporating Credible Evidence Into an EBP Model

Incorporating credible evidence in the evidence-based practice model is crucial as it aims at providing the most effective patient care available with the objective of improving the patient's outcomes. It also ensures that nursing decisions are informed by the best available evidence (Kumar, Nandhini, Kamalanathan, Sahoo, & Vivekanadan, 2016). For example, when deciding the most effective health care plan, the source that is supported by credible evidence is considered the most useful. It also ascertains that limited resources are utilized wisely to maximize patient outcomes. For example, the evidence provided enables the nurses to treat a patient without wasting resources that have no impact on the health of a patient. The evidence also enables the nurses to understand the risks and effectiveness of various strategies in the diagnostic tests and treatment (Chatterjee, Khunti, & Davies, 2017). Furthermore, incorporating evidence is integral to delivering patient-centered care relevant to the identified diagnosis.

Conclusion

The evidence-based approach involves the combination of evidence from peer-reviewed sources and engaging the nurse in health care delivery. Credible resources and evidence are applied to provide patient centers care. To determine the credibility of the sources, nurses should assess authority, timeliness, and relevance. The approach is vital as it ensures that nurses stay up-to-date with the current treatment and diagnostic protocols that are beneficial to the patient.

References

Blaslov, K., Naranda, F. S., Kruljac, I., & Renar, I. P. (2018). The treatment approach to type 2 diabetes: Past, present, and future. World Journal of Diabetes, 9(12), 209. Retrieved from 10.4239/wjd.v9.i12.209

Chatterjee, S., Khunti, K., & Davies, M. J. (2017). Type 2 diabetes. The Lancet, 389(10085), 2239-2251. Retrieved from DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30058-2

Kajal, G. C., Cadet, M. J., Hirani, S., & Thomas, T. (2018). Type 2 diabetes management: A practice guide for NPs. The Nurse Practitioner, 43(10), 40-47. Retrieved from DOI: 10.1097/01.NPR.0000544999.00017.97

Kumar, R., Nandhini, L. P., Kamalanathan, S., Sahoo, J., & Vivekanadan, M. (2016). Evidence for current diagnostic criteria of Diabetes mellitus. World Journal of Diabetes, 7(17), 396. Retrieved from doi: 10.4239/wjd.v7.i17.396

Marin-Penalver, J. J., Martin-Timon, I., Sevillano-Collantes, C., & del Canizo-Gomez, F. J. (2016). Update on the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. World Journal of Diabetes, 7(17), 354. Retrieved from doi: 10.4239/wjd.v7.i17.354.

Sorenson, M. E. (2016). Beyond the Google search bar: Evaluating source credibility in contemporary research. Communication teacher, 30(2), 82-86. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2016.1139150