Diab HA8 Enable individuals with diabetes to monitor their blood glucose levels

Overview

This standard covers providing appropriate education to enable individuals with diabetes monitor their blood glucose levels, in order to help them to manage their diabetes. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. national frameworks for service delivery for diabetes
2. national guidelines on diabetes monitoring, management and education
3. causes of diabetes
4. signs and symptoms of diabetes
5. normal and abnormal blood glucose and HbA1c values
6. how to monitor glucose levels, HbA1c, blood pressure
7. typical progressive patterns of diabetes
8. the importance and effects of patient education and self management
9. the psychological impact of diabetes, at diagnosis and in the long term
10. how to gather information from patients about their health
11. how to work in partnership with patients and carers
12. the social, cultural and economic background of the patient/carer group
13. the impact of nutrition and physical exercise
14. the effects of smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs
15. the effects of, and how to manage, intercurrent illness
16. how to manage hypoglycaemia
17. the medications used to manage diabetes
18. the long term complications of diabetes and when they are likely to occur
19. how to examine feet and assess risk status
20. how to monitor cardiovascular risk
21. how to monitor for renal disease
22. how to monitor for diabetic retinopathy
23. the law and good practice guidelines on consent
24. the staff member’s role in the healthcare team and the role of others
25. local guidelines on diabetes healthcare
26. local referral pathways
27. local systems for recording patient information
28. quality assurance systems
29. the process of notification for legal and insurance purposes
30. sources of practitioner and patient information on diabetes
31. contact details of local and national support groups
32. how individuals can access facilities for exercise and physical activity, education and community activities

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. communicate in a manner suitable to the individual, and in a way that encourages discussion, participation and feedback
2. assess the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the individual with diabetes about monitoring and self management and identify gaps that could be met by education
3. reinforce, where appropriate, the individual and carer’s understanding of the benefits of monitoring their blood glucose levels
4. where the individual agrees to learn to monitor their blood glucose levels, help the individual and carer understand the principles and techniques of monitoring
5. through explanation and demonstration, help the individual and carer learn to use the equipment to measure their blood glucose levels
6. discuss and agree:
1. timings and frequencies for monitoring that are appropriate for the individual
2. a target range that is appropriate for the individual
3. actions the individual should take when monitoring reveals that blood sugars are high or low
7. discuss at suitable intervals the progress the individual has made in learning to monitor their blood glucose levels, and any problems they have encountered
8. where they have encountered problems, consider alternative ways of helping individuals to learn to monitor their blood glucose levels
9. record your work with the individual in a way that can be followed by other members of the care team, the individual and the carer

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB7 Interventions and treatments