Advancing Knowledge in Diabetes

Practicum Journal Entry #1 Clinical Reasoning
(Advancing Knowledge in Diabetes)
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Journal Entry 1
The situation in advancing knowledge in diabetes
The diagnosis, treatment, and management of diabetes require significant knowledge. Patients must identify thinks that impact their blood sugar levels and how to manage daily factors. As a result, one situation that became clear during my practicum is that people with knowledge about their diabetic condition are healthier than those who do not. For instance, carbohydrates have the most significant influence on blood sugar levels. Therefore, people who take mealtime insulin must know how to count carbohydrates because such knowledge has significant impact on insulin doses. Knowledge related to diabetes does not just enhance the lives of patients, but also prevents costly long-term complications (Didarloo et al., 2016). For instance, the amputation of the lower limb leads to long-term complications that are costly. However, sufficient diabetes knowledge reduces the amputation rate while also leading to massive cost savings.
Observation related to advanced practice care delivery and clinical reasoning
I observed that advanced practice care in diabetes treatment is leaning towards the adoption of intensive diabetes management programs. Intensive diabetes management reduces the risk of experiencing long-term complications while also preventing the on-set of diabetes in some people (Wolpert et al., 2013). A successful intensive diabetes management program requires massive patient education and clinical expertise. This implies that other than education patients, health professionals must earn the necessary credentials before becoming advanced diabetes managers. On the other hand, clinical reasoning takes the form of thorough examination that involves vital signs, foot assessment, and neurologic and vascular examination. Importantly, I observed that preconceptions such as “indigenous people are alcoholics” or “older people feel more pain” influence the clinical r...