Nursing Care Plans for Diabetes.

Nursing Care Plans (NCP) Diabetes Mellitus

Plans for Diabetes nursing care have to be carefully thought out as diabetes is not a simple medical condition. You get to know the basics of such a healthcare plan in this article.

It is obvious that a good nurse is just as necessary as a good doctor. Let us go through several guidelines to be given for the nursing care plans for diabetes. There are 2 types of diabetes mellitus and they are Type I diabetes which is also called IDDM (Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus)  and Type II diabetes which is also known as NIDDM (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus).

Nursing A Diabetic

Monitoring Patients

» The patient’s dietary programs, tests for foot and skin care, blood pressure measurements and blood sugar monitoring with blood glucose monitors are areas which ought to be carried out by the nurses.

» A urine test must be given to all patients admitted into the hospital within a week. All diabetic cases have to be referred to their respective doctors or other senior doctors.

» A patient ought to be checked again after at least a few days if the patient has not recovered from other diabetes related symptoms although the patient’s urine test was negative.

Dealing with Patients With Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

» Each patient is given a particular target for his blood pressure. Once a patient has managed to have the results of his blood pressure normal, the doctor ought to be consulted so that necessary changes can be made to his nursing care plan.

» Each patient’s previous medical complications can be different from the others. As such, the results of their blood pressure can be just as different. If the patients have a background of drug abuse and smoking, they have to be told to stop their unhealthy habits.

» Assistance from the authorities in the hospital can be used to stop a patient from smoking. Blood pressure results of the patient have to be reported to the doctor every day.

Diabetes and diet

» Every patient’s basal metabolic index has to be followed monthly and a record of the basal metabolic index kept for future reference.

» A diabetic’s diet ought to be planned carefully. The nurse have to monitor to ensure that only food that can help the patient to recover sooner be given to him. Rice, cereals and potatoes are necessary to a diabetic’s diet and such food ought to be encouraged.

» Every new patient must meet a dietitian so that dietary plan can be made.

The Difference Between a Dietician and Nutritionist – Video Guide

Managing Medicines

» Nurses are the only people who are allowed to give the drugs and medicines to the patients if the doctor has prescribed them.

» The nurse ought to check to make sure the right medicines are being used for a particular patient before actually handing over the medicines to the patient to take.

» The nurse must make sure the right insulin dosage is given to the patient. Insulin must be kept in refrigerators, only taken out of the refrigerator twenty minutes before being injected into the patient.

» The nurse ought to make sure the sites for injections are not repeated each day. Since different locations have different absorption capability, it is better to have the locations changed from time to time. The use of the different locations must be recorded and kept for reference.

» The nurse must be able to tackle problems in which the  situations require emergency treatments such as hypoglycemia chronic fatigue in which the patient exhibits signs of fatigue and dizziness.

» The nurse must know all the problems which are possible with diabetic patients.

Other Guidelines For Nurses

The nurse should be a patient’s care taker as well as someone who is capable of offering all necessary information essential to diabetes patients. With the information she has, the nurse will be able to give advice and instruction on exercises beneficial to diabetes. It is well known that exercises can bring about improvements which will appear on blood pressure charts, improve the patient’s mental state, and lessen the possibility of diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Make sure that problems such as UTI (urinary tract infections) or incontinence  do not bring negative effects to the patient and add to the complications. Since gestational diabetes affect a pregnant woman at the time the embryo is formed, gestational diabetes nursing care is very necessary. Constant assistance have to be given to a patient with gestational diabetes.

Careful analysis of the symptoms of the patient and planning are essential to good care. To give emotional support to the patient so that fast recovery from the disease is possible, it is necessary to have a charming and friendly attitude towards the patient.

The purpose of nursing care plans for diabetes is to be able to provide the patients with holistic health. The most important aim is to have the patient know it is possible for diabetes care to be given effectively when there is proper guidance and care.