Student nurse - presentation help

[Traceywitham]

Hi there, I am a student nurse and I am currently preparing a health promotion presentation that I have to do. I am focusing my presentation on diabetes and how early detection/education could prevent/reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes.

I have to produce a resource that could be used. I have an idea of wallet sized laminated cards with like a traffic light system set of questions that could show your risk or advice what to do if you meet certain criteria. These could be used by health care professionals as well as patients who could be at risk of developing diabetes.

I was just wondering what people think of this idea? Or does anyone have any ideas of things that may have been useful to them?

Thank you very much for reading

 

[Northerner]

Hi Tracey, just wondering in what context these would be used? In hospital? In the surgery?

 

[Traceywitham]

Hi, health professionals could use them as a guide to follow for if a patient was at risk of diabetes.

Also they could be in surgeries and given to patients who may be at risk of developing it.

Thanks

 

[Mark T]

Are you going to have a card that says: "Sorry, You Choose the Wrong Grandparents"?

You do realise that many forms of Type 2 are strongly genetic? Yes, you increase you risk of triggering those genetic genes by being overweight, smoking, no exercise, etc. But it's difficult to dodge that bullet?

 

[Traceywitham]

I totally appreciate that and understand the genetic side. I am focusing my presentation on the people who could make a difference, especially if they knew the long term effects of having diabetes.

As you said, they increase their risk. Do. You have any other ideas of resources that may help? Thanks

 

[LeeLee]

How about some simple questions, advising that if they answer YES to any of them it's worth asking for a quick checkup...

- Does anyone in your immediate family have diabetes?
- Do you weigh more than you'd like to?
- Do you drink a lot of liquids because you're thirsty?
- Do you wee a lot?

 

[Northerner]

You might want to look at this Diabetes UK page - there is also a Diabetes Risk Score Test link in the margin:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/What-is-diabetes/Diabetes-risk-factors/

One important thing not to be overlooked is the fact that you do not necessarily have to be overweight and have a sedentary lifestyle, so I would be careful to include something about this otherwise people may assume that if they are not overweight and lead an active lifestyle they cannot be at risk. Around 20% of Type2s are not overweight at diagnosis. In such cases, it may be a strong family history of diabetes that is the greatest risk factor, plus if the person carries any weight around their abdomen.

 

[Mark T]

How about some simple questions, advising that if they answer YES to any of them it's worth asking for a quick checkup...

- Does anyone in your immediate family have diabetes?
- Do you weigh more than you'd like to?
- Do you drink a lot of liquids because you're thirsty?
- Do you wee a lot?

Quite a few of those questions would work well for Type 1 as well as Type 2 🙂

One problem is that diabetes is a very individual disease and you can't apply a "one-size-fits-all" approach easily.

My father always told me that I should have myself regularly checked for diabetes and by that he meant giving me some of his glucostrips (urine) to check myself every couple of years. But at the point you have glucose spilling into your urine you are already well into the diabetic range.

I also never had issues with peeing/drinking lots of water either - and there are many other Type 2's who also didn't have the traditional symptoms at diagnosis.

The only effective (see WHO research, you are a student I'll let you go hunt for it 😛) detection method would seem to be the HbA1c test and that isn't without it's limitations. I also understand it's not a cheap test either compared with fasting glucose.

Effective education reducing the effects of type 2 - well that's not limiting test strips, teaching how to use them and throwing custard pies at any nurse who tells you that you have to eat carbs with everything 😱

 

[MrAutoimmune]

Awwww

Kinda cool. Seems alright to me 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Not sure when the annual testing came in for ladies who had gestational diabetes when they were pregnant - it was comparatively recently, so that's a valid question to ask ladies above a Certain Age!

(nowadays, if you get GD, thereafter the NHS should 'automatically' ask you to come in and get your blood taken to do a HbA1c test. I have no idea if GPs ever ask women if they've had it, and it isn't on their records now, stuff like that tends to fall off the edge of your records some time after the event - my GP for instance has no MEDICAL record that I've had a total hysterectomy - only what I've told him about it, took me ages to get them to remove keep demanding that I go for cervical smears - they can't do em cos I ain't got one! LOL)

Besides being asked to go - do these ladies actually go and do it? or do some of them think, oh it's never shown up anything untoward, so I won't bother this year?

 

[am64]

the best resource would be to produce a laminated card with this forums address on it ....
as for the simple question idea I was dx after having abscesses can you add that to the list of possible signs

 

[SimplesL]

If this may be used for GP's, how about them being told that when someone is diagnosed they advise them the increased risk their nearest & dearest have an increased risk & advise them on how to reduce it for the future.

But if like my family it is genetic, even if you are not overweight are active watch your diet it can still hit. I just wish when my father was diagnosed about 15 years ago (he wasn't overweight, had no symptoms the same as me) we were warned as a family of our increased risk.

Hope your presentation goes well.