Building Competency in Diabetes Education THE ESSENTIALS

11-102 | CHAPTER 11

assessment category. The right column asks you to reflect on why you would assess this area and what its application to SME might be. Being systematic generally improves both efficiency and accuracy and will provide you with a holistic picture of a person’s situation. The process of assessment will require you to use all of the knowledge and skills you have acquired in the previous chapters. The following tables are practical application exercises involving all types of data to include in a functional assessment. Reflect on the rationale for each point and describe why you would assess each area. How will this information be used to plan the client’s SME?

Health perception and health management This part of the assessment includes information about the individual’s past medical history and perceptions of their health status.

Data collection should include: Current age, age at onset of diabetes, onset and progression of symptoms of hyperglycemia and complications. Family history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension and other endocrine disorders (a genogram may be used to record data). Pertinent medical history, such as major illnesses, other endocrine disorders, hospitalizations, surgery, medication use (including both oral agents and over the-counter medications) herbal/alternative therapies, alcohol use, smoking and substance abuse.

Rationale for including this assessment area & application to SME: • Stage of disease: Understanding of relationship between diabetes control and prevention or delay of complications. • Ascertaining type of diabetes. • Individual’s understanding of types and causes of diabetes. • Risk of complications. • Understanding risk and how diabetes control may be modified to reduce risk. • Understanding how the person views his or her health at the time. • Determining whether concurrent issues are affecting BG levels. Selecting appropriate target BG goals. • Presence of risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as smoking, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia. • Presence of diabetes complications. • Potential for complicating self-management ability, safety of self care behaviours.