Date of Graduation

Fall 12-18-2015

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Department/Program

Natural Resources

Abstract

This project utilized current evidence-based practices to improve the diabetes education in the endocrine clinic for the adolescent population ages 15-18. Based on a clinic audit, an average hA1C level of 8.1% was revealed. The goal was to decrease these levels from 8.1% to 7.9% within 90 days through the implementation of the revised diabetes brochure. Evidence suggests the following: DSME improves clinical outcomes and quality of life; an A1C level >7% is associated with increased risks of complications ; teaching aimed at lowering glycemic levels have decreased numerous complications; there is a need to ensure age appropriate, family-centered care, along with ongoing diabetes education to be most successful; and lastly, research shows DSME improves A1C levels by as much as 1% and reduces the onset and/or advancement of diabetes complications. The implementation included a staff meeting to review goals/objectives, as well as a clinic in-service on teaching strategies/methods to ensure teen compliance is maintained. During the evaluation phase, data was analyzed by senior managers and the quality improvement team on November 16th 2015 to include: staff surveys, A1C levels from September to November, & patient/family survey and feedback questionnaires. The evaluation showed the following: increase in staff awareness of effective diabetes education, lowered A1C levels of 0.01%, and more teen compliance at home. It’s recommended to continue to improve diabetes education to allow the teen the ability to become a self-advocator, to self-manage the illness independently, and to better understand key components of the disease and its treatment to reduce the burden of morbidity and mortality, which ultimately will reduce health disparities in this vulnerable group of patients.

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