Managing Pediatric Diabetes with Evidence-Based Practices

Evidence-Based Practice Project: Paper on Diabetes

Clinicians and medical professionals have given “minimum attention to diabetes in the pediatric population” (Smart, Annan, Bruno, Higgins, & Acerini, 2014, p. 136). This remains the case even though the condition continues to affect more children in different parts of the world. In 2015, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) signified that over 190,000 Americans below the age of 20 had diabetes (Onge, Miller, Motycka, & DeBerry, 2015). Recent studies have also indicated that more children between 2 and 15 years are being diagnosed with the condition every year. This challenge has forced many researchers to come up with evidence-based concepts to support the health needs of more children.

Different institutions and agencies have collaborated in an attempt to deal with both type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children (Copeland et al., 2013). A new guideline has been developed to address the health needs of more children with the condition. The use of therapeutic approaches has gained much attention because of their potential to deliver positive health outcomes. Adjunctive therapy relies on the use of medications and exercises. Copeland et al. (2013) acknowledge that the use of metformin is critical towards recording positive results in young persons with diabetes. Unfortunately, many experts argue that the use of various medications in children is characterized by a lack of reliable clinical evidence.

The current guideline indicates that metformin or insulin can be used to deal with the condition in children (Copeland et al., 2013). Additionally, physicians and healthcare workers should go further to integrate effective lifestyle modifications. This means that children should be encouraged to engage in a wide range of exercises. By doing so, their bodies will remain active and reduce complications. Additionally, a balanced diet should be considered to ensure positive results are recorded.

The inclusion of a multidisciplinary team is another evidence-based concept that has emerged in the recent past. Caregivers can bring together different professionals such as nutritionists, physicians, family members, and medical specialists. These individuals can collaborate, design personalized care models, and offer evidence-based solutions to the targeted clients. Clinicians who are unaware of specific complications should work closely with pediatric specialists throughout the disease management period. The caregiver will then come up with a powerful model that suits the unique needs of the targeted child (Copeland et al., 2013).

From this discussion, it is quite evident that lifestyle interventions should be part of every therapy used to manage diabetes. After a child is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), insulin or metformin should “be used as first-line therapy” (Copeland et al., 2013, p. 2). This kind of therapy is capable of quashing glucose toxicity in the human body. However, drugs tend to produce undesirable results without including other plans. That being the case, lifestyle intervention should be combined with medical therapy to produce long-term benefits.

The issue of patient preference is critical whenever dealing with diabetes in children. The efficacy of medicines such as metformin in patients should be carefully monitored. The approach will guide healthcare practitioners to design effective management plans for every client (Onge et al., 2015). The plan should be implemented immediately in an attempt to monitor the health of the targeted child.

This information can be embraced by different professionals to transform the field of nursing. Practitioners should be on the frontline to develop evidence-based models capable of supporting the health needs of their patients (Smart et al., 2014). The proposed new tool can be used by nurse practitioners (NPs) to treat (and manage) diabetes in children successfully. This is the case because the tool combines the use of both lifestyle modification and drug therapy (Copeland et al., 2013). The tool should be implemented depending on the unique medical needs of the targeted children.

Nurses who consider this evidence-based practice will attract different professionals capable of meeting the needs of more children with the condition. NPs should partner with family members, parents, pediatricians, and dieticians to design an effective management plan (Onge et al., 2015). Constant monitoring emerges as a new practice capable of supporting the healthcare delivery process. This understanding will inform nursing practice and empower more practitioners to develop personalized care management models.

This evidence-based approach presents new concepts that can be used to manage and treat diabetes in children before it gets out of hand (Onge et al., 2015). Consequently, the approach will reduce most of the deaths associated with the disease in the United States. Nurses who engage in lifelong learning will acquire new ideas that can be used to manage childhood diabetes.

Evidence-Based Practice Project: Intervention Presentation on Diabetes

Summary of the new intervention and treatment tool for diabetes in children:

• Past researches have mainly focused on T2DM in adults.
• More children are being diagnosed with diabetes annually.
• Many practitioners support the use of lifestyle modification and drug therapy (Copeland et al., 2013).
• The new intervention can support the health needs of more children.
• The tool is effective for both adults and children.

Aspects of the management plan:

• The proposed diabetes management tool supports the use of exercises.
• A balanced diet is essential.
• Insulin should also be used.
• Metformin is another useful drug.
• The combination of exercises, balanced diets, and drugs can produce positive results.

Benefits of the evidence-based plan:

• The plan embraces the use of multidisciplinary teams.
• Nurses and family members interact continuously.
• Dieticians and patients collaborate to come up with an evidence-based plan.
• The management plan can be personalized accordingly (Smart et al., 2014).
• The model has the potential to deliver desirable results.

Integrating the new tool into nursing practice:

• Nurses possess adequate competencies in disease management and care delivery.
• Such dexterities can be used to implement the proposed tool.
• Nurses who partner with other professionals will become professional caregivers.
• The practitioners can use their competencies to design positive lifestyle changes (Copeland et al., 2013).
• Nurses can include the model in their care delivery philosophies.

How the tool can be used to expand nursing practice:

• The tool appreciates the concept of collaboration.
• Nurses who use the tool will find it easier to work with patients from diverse backgrounds (Onge et al., 2015).
• The management tool can improve nurses’ cultural competencies.
• The model empowers nurses to handle numerous conditions affecting children.
• The tool fosters participation, teamwork, and leadership in nursing.

How the tool can impact healthcare:

• Effective use of the tool can prevent other diseases such as obesity.
• Lifestyle change is a positive indicator of good health.
• The concepts can be used to redefine healthcare practice.
• The tool seeks to address the health issues affecting underserved populations.
• The tool can be used to foster policy changes in healthcare.

References

Copeland, K., Silverstein, J., Moore, K., Prazar, G., Raymer, T., Schiffman, R., … Flinn, S. (2013). Management of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 131(2), 1-18.

Onge, E., Miller, S., Motycka, C., & DeBerry, A. (2015). A review of the treatment of type 2 diabetes in children. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 20(1), 4-16. Web.

Smart, E., Annan, F., Bruno, C., Higgins, L., & Acerini, L. (2014). Nutritional management in children and adolescents with diabetes. Pediatric Diabetes, 15(20), 135-153. Web.