A good nurse is as important as a good doctor. Nursing care for diabetes is important, due to the nature of this condition. Here is what a diabetes nursing care plan should be like.
Monitoring the Patients
Within seven days of admission, all patients should undergo a mandatory urine test. When the test turns out positive, the diabetic case should be referred to senior doctors or any respective doctors in charge.
The key responsibilities of nurses are glucose monitoring by means of a blood glucose monitor, skin and foot care test, high and low blood pressure check, as well as dietary programs that are suitable for the patient.
When the patient tested negative on the urine tests, yet he or she is still not recovering from the most common symptoms of diabetes, he must recheck again in a few weeks.
Dealing with High Blood Pressure
Every patient will have different history of past medical complications and therefore blood pressure readings can vary significantly. If the patient with high blood pressure has a long history of smoking or drugs, they should quit immediately.
One should take the necessary steps given by medical authorities in order to help the patient quit smoking. The nurse must consult with the doctors regarding abnormal blood pressure readings of the patient.
Diet and Diabetes
It is important that the nurse ensure that the patient follow a strict diet. The nurse must monitor the patient’s diet and ensure that he or she is only eating food that aid recovery. Foods like cereals, potatoes and rice are important and should be part of the diet.
All new diabetic patients should consult with a dietician before starting any dietary plans. The nurse basal metabolic index of every patient should be tracked on a monthly basis and kept for future reference.
Managing the Medications
One of the important roles of a nurse is to manage the patient’s medication. The is to ensure that patients only administer medication and supplements recommended by doctors.
Before the medicines are given, the nurse must double check if the patient is indeed taking the right medication as a precautionary measure. Insulin dosage must be administered very carefully and all insulin medicines should be stored in the refrigerator at all times.
Finally, one of the most important things of diabetes nursing care is to ensure that the insulin injection locations are not repeated daily. Hence, the nurse should keep a record of the different injection locations.
