Diabetes Emergencies: Hypoglycaemia

Course Overview

This Course provides a comprehensive update on the causes, risk factors, signs and symptoms, and management of a diabetes emergency - hypoglycaemia.

Topics

• How can you identify hypoglycaemia?
• Who’s most at risk?
• What’s the latest in managing hypoglycaemia?
• Is there an optimal administration of insulin?

Need

Potential complications associated with diabetes mellitus can be severe. Hypoglycaemia, a diabetes emergency, can occur due to a range of reasons. It can cause a great deal of anxiety, be very traumatic and may be life-threatening.

Strong awareness of the causes, risk factors, signs and symptoms, management, and prevention of hypoglycaemia is essential if health professionals are to prevent harm and improve patient outcomes. Ongoing access to education that assists health professionals to remain well-informed about the latest evidence concerning hypoglycaemia is essential.

Purpose

Enhance knowledge of the care of the person with diabetes by reviewing and updating information regarding the causes, assessment, and treatment of hypoglycaemic emergencies.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify those at risk of developing hypoglycaemia to implement strategies to reduce their risk of hypoglycaemia occurring.
• Use knowledge of the signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia to manage patients experiencing a hypoglycaemic episode appropriately.
• Apply enhanced skills to more effectively care for the person experiencing a hypoglycaemic episode to ensure more advanced adverse outcomes are avoided.

Target Audience

Enhance knowledge of the care of the person with diabetes by reviewing and updating information regarding the causes, assessment, and treatment of hypoglycaemic emergencies.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educator

Michelle Robins

Michelle Robins is a credentialed diabetes educator with 23 years of experience in many aspects of diabetes care and education. She is currently employed as a Nurse Practitioner by Northern Health. Her past employment, as a diabetes educator, has included major tertiary hospital settings, including St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Melbourne Division of General Practice, Melbourne Extended Care and Rehabilitation Service, and, in Queensland, Logan/Beaudesert Health Service. Michelle has served on more than 40 diabetes-related committees, written book chapters, and is consistently highly evaluated in her teaching role. See Educator Profile