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Diabetes educational program
(2016-01-28)
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, despite medical advancements (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2011). Diabetes management and education is the key to curtail the rapid spread of this disease. As American baby boomers age, the diagnoses of diabetes increase and cause the disease to reach epidemic proportions (King, Matheson, Chirina, & Shankar, 2013). A New York City nursing home conducted a needs assessment in 2013, which revealed an increase in the readmission of residents with diabetes or diabetes-related complications. These sobering facts led to the project question: Does a diabetes educational program in a sub-acute setting decrease the 30-day hospital readmission rates among baby boomers? The purpose of this evidence-based project was to study a diabetes educational program’s impact on readmission rates. The ultimate goal of the project is to improve patients and caregivers’ management of this complicated disease. Management and improvements of this disease include better eating habits, exercise, self-care and educating the diabetic patients to reduced adverse effects of the disease. The researcher used a pre and post questionnaire designed to better understand nurses and patients’ knowledge of diabetes prior to the education program. A convenience sample of nurses (N = 27) and patients (N = 9) participated in the project. Patients had follow-up calls within 30 days of discharged to assess for any readmission. Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory and the IOWA Model served as the theoretical frameworks that guided this system change. The findings from the needs assessment suggested that augmented diabetic education for patients may improve diabetes management and reduce readmission rates.
Keywords: diabetes mellitus, diabetes, nursing homes, baby boomers, readmission, champions, champion model, diabetes champion, expert clinician, hospital admission, discharge, and hospital utilization....