Managing type 2 diabetes may require the use of various technological equipment. For instance, self-use glucometers can help patients monitor their blood levels remotely, allowing them to adjust their lifestyle if necessary. The devices also reduce daily travel and testing costs. Phone apps are also useful since they allow one to implement a lifestyle plan (diet and exercise) and connect with online support groups. Alongside organizational community resources such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), these groups can help both patients and caregivers acquire information, skills, and moral support. Finally, care coordination is vital where the patients have a systematic disadvantage as language minority, finances, or health illiteracy. A care coordinator would assist these less-privileged patients in attaining optimal health outcomes (high-quality care and adequate patient safety) at the most efficient price.
Part 2
The meeting was with my patient, a sixty-seven-year-old male relative diagnosed with type 2 diabetes seven years ago. I sought to establish his experience with healthcare technology in managing the disease. I also wanted to determine if he had been part of any care coordination program and whether he had accessed relevant community resources. He stated that he uses a glucometer to monitor his blood sugar level twice a day. The device allows him to store daily readings and send them to a paired mobile device. Thus, he can forward the health data to a healthcare practitioner if necessary. He also has a pedometer app that tracks his step count, as he aims to remain physically active. Initially, he had trouble adjusting to the new dietary requirements. Hence, his physician referred him to a dietician to develop a meal plan that was not too rigid. He stated that the coordinated effort was useful since his failed dieting approach had previously been frustrating. Finally, the respondent has read the information on the ADA website. It was particularly useful during the first year after diagnosis. Presently, he assists in a local program to raise awareness on diabetes management among low-income adults.
Reviewing the evidence-based practice documents and websites showed the impact of care coordination. For instance, Rawlins et al. (2017) established that providing a bilingual care coordinator for Hispanic and African American patients resulted in a 16% drop in A1c levels. The decline lowered the projected healthcare costs, enhancing healthcare access to patients’ quality of life. Meanwhile, Zhai & Wu (2020) found that using a blood-sugar-monitoring app to develop clinical support and instructions resulted in better A1c control and higher self-efficacy. Thus, integrating technology in diabetes management enhances clinical outcomes. Finally, community resource organizations offer more than just the information on their websites. For instance, the ADA has two publications, the Diabetes Forecast and MyFoodAdvisor, beneficial to diabetes patients (Dansinger, 2022). Such resources are available online, making them accessible to most patients.
The Practicum Experience
Exploring type 2 diabetes to determine ways to enhance patient safety and care quality and reduce costs has been insightful. Most of the information has been useful in creating a new perspective on the problem. For instance, I had previously not considered the significance of care coordination. Hence, the review has led me to revise my proposed intervention plan. I was also surprised to learn that a projected 5% of the population unknowingly lives with diabetes (Golden et al., 2017). Therefore, the current organizational and governmental interventions are severely inadequate in systematically mitigating the disease’s burden.
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