Diabetes Teaching Plan
Teaching Plan 7/5/12 Teaching a Diabetic about the Importance of Not Skipping Meals, Food Groups to Avoid, & Avoiding Alcohol After spending 4 clinical days in the hospital I realize how many patients have diabetes. As a nurse, I believe it is very important to know how to educate the diabetic patients as to the guidelines they should follow at home on the foods they should be eating and avoiding.
In addition I believe it is important for the nurse to know what foods the patient should and should not be eating in the hospital.
This teaching plan is going to focus on a general guideline of a diet for a patient with diabetes. As of 2011 25. 8 million children and adults in the United States, 8. 3% of the population, have diabetes. Proper education is essential to helping these people live normal, healthy lives without incidents related to their condition.
The patient, Linda, is in the hospital because she was severely hypoglycemic after a night of binge drinking with her friends. She is a 21 year old female patient that frequently binge drinks and skips meals due to her hectic schedule.
I am going to teach the patient about: * The importance of not skipping meals * What food groups she should and shouldn’t be eating * The effect alcohol will have on her diabetes Nurse: Hi Linda, I just want to speak with you about living with diabetes and how managing your diet is so import to keeping your diabetes in check. Could you tell me about your normal eating pattern on a day to day basis? Patient: Well I am in college and I have a really hectic schedule. I usually wake up and don’t have time for breakfast because I have to rush to class.
For lunch I usually just get a bag of chips and a soda out of the vending machine. For dinner I usually eat Mcdonalds because it right next to my apartment but sometimes I skip dinner too. Nurse: OK Linda, you realize with diabetes, what you eat and don’t eat has a substantial effect on your blood glucose. Skipping meals, especially breakfast can put you at risk for developing low blood sugar. An easy option that you could take on the go would be to take a zip-lock bag with some regular salted mixed nuts.
Does that sounds like something you could start eating for breakfast?
Patient: Yes, I like fruit too. Can I eat that for breakfast? Nurse: Yes fruit is an excellent healthy option, but some fruits are higher in sugar than others. In addition you need to be mindful of the portion size because even if you eat too much of the “acceptable fruits” they can affect your blood sugar levels. Berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are excellent options. Fruits with high amounts of glucose like bananas, grapes, watermelon, and oranges would need to be eaten in small quantities. Do you understand? Patient: Yes, I understand.
Nurse: Ok well in addition to not skipping meals your choice of foods for lunch could be better. Are you familiar with what food groups you should be eating as a diabetic? Patient: Well no one has ever really told me what food groups I should and shouldn’t be eating. Nurse: In general you want to have a diet that is low in fat and high in fiber and carbohydrates. You really should avoid sugary drinks like that soda that you drink every day for lunch. You want to avoid fats like butter and fried foods. So McDonalds is not the best option unless you are getting the salads and grilled chicken sandwiches.
Carbohydrates will raise blood glucose. But even with carbs there are options that are better than others that you should be aware of such as eating brown rice rather than white rice and while wheat pasta rather than regular pasta. Does this make sense? Patient: Yes I understand. Nurse: I understand that you are 21 and in college. It is normal for people your age to drink alcohol and party. Do you drink at all when you are out with your friends? Patient: Yes I drink socially on the weekends, but when I do I usually drink 8 or 9 beers during the course of the night.
Nurse: OK well just so you know, alcohol can cause hypoglycemia up to 24 hours after consuming it as you have found out. It is recommended that women with diabetes drink 1 or less alcoholic drinks a day. If you do choose to drink you should try to eat something while you eat such as pretzels, popcorn, or crackers. Do you understand? Patient: Yes I understand Nurse: OK I am going to give you a few brochures that will give you more information and resources to reach out to if you have any more questions about your diet or any other aspect of diabetes OK?
Patients: Than sounds great thank you. I would ensure that the patient understood each lesson by asking, “Do you understand” and getting a verbal response of “I understand. ” In addition it is imperative to give the patient any brochures with additional information and resources that are available.
With limited time it is best to give the patient a few ideas that they will remember rather than lecturing them on things they will most likely forget. If the patient is really interested they will have all the resources to look up more information on their own.
