Name: Diabetes: Nursing Management Seminar
Start: 25 Oct 2021
End: 26 Oct 2021
Location: Brothers Sports Club

Why Attend

Attend this seminar to learn about modern nursing care and the management of people affected by diabetes mellitus. Update your knowledge of:

Current protocols for the administration of insulin
Measurement and management of blood glucose levels
Lifestyle factors relating to diabetes mellitus
Patient education strategies
Prevention of complications

Attend this consistently highly evaluated program if you have not had a formal diabetes update in the past 18 months.

Program

8:30am - Registration and Refreshments

9:00am

Adult Diabetes: The Silent but Devastating Epidemic

As the population of those affected with diabetes continues to increase, the demand on nurses to care for people with this complex chronic illness grows. This introductory session both sets the scene and contextualises the issues that nurses need to understand in order to care for those with this pervasive disease. Topics include:

What is diabetes and what are the common signs and symptoms?
Why the cause for concern?
Is the incidence increasing within the Australian adult population and why?
Why are members of indigenous communities so prone to developing this disease, and what other groups are at increased risk?
What are the different types of this condition and the diagnostic criteria?
How often should the general population be screened for diabetes? Are you at risk?

9:45am

Lifestyle and Health Literacy: Impacts on Diabetes Risk – Prevention is the Key

This session includes the risk factors associated with diabetes, including both modifiable and non-modifiable problems. It includes practical information and primary care tips to enable you to help people to make the necessary changes to improve their lifestyle choices. We will discuss:

What are the current factors and lifestyle choices that may be causing the incidence of diabetes to increase?
Why are nutrition, weight management, physical activity, blood pressure control, blood lipids, and stress management so important?
What is health literacy, how can you promote it, and how can it improve diabetes management?

10:30am - Morning Tea and Coffee

11:00am

Nutrition, Healthy Eating, and Diabetes – It's All About Balance

Eating well, being active, and reducing weight is a balancing act – find out about the latest evidence and strategies for your patients with diabetes and pre-diabetes.

What are the latest nutritional guidelines for all Australians?
What are the latest nutritional guidelines for patients diagnosed with diabetes?
Are there any practical, workable strategies for educating patients with diabetes, and promoting their need to lose weight? Does knowledge lead to behavioural change?
Weight control – pills, shakes, diets, medication, and surgery – does anything work?
Practical examples and case studies will highlight more difficult and challenging situations.

12:00pm

Assessment: The Key to Person-Centred Management

This session includes an interactive exploration of ongoing and comprehensive nursing assessments as a foundation for the planning and design of appropriate care and the implementation of management strategies for people with diabetes. We will:

Explore how nursing assessments create the foundations for providing appropriate care and management interventions, explaining the dynamic nature of assessment and evaluation
Consider what is involved in the initial nursing assessment for patients with diabetes
Review which investigations need to be undertaken and why they need to be routinely kept within their ideal ranges
Review person-centred assessment – the fundamentals and how it applies to the patient with diabetes

12:30pm - Lunch Break and Networking

1:30pm

Blood Glucose Monitoring

Blood glucose monitoring is used by both health professionals and people with diabetes. This session will review how both groups can make the most of their monitoring to ensure it is accurate, safe, and useful. Information will be presented to help you ensure your meters are recording BGLs accurately. It includes:

An overview of the evidence in support of the best times to test blood glucose levels
How frequently to test and why
How to record and interpret results
How to ensure accuracy of results and maintain and calibrate equipment
How to keep up-to-date with new developments
NDSS and access to strips, including the restrictions to access for those with type II diabetes not on insulin

2:30pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee

3:00pm

Diabetes Care Emergencies: Hypoglycaemic and Hyperglycaemic Episodes

Diabetes emergencies can occur for a range of reasons; they can cause a great deal of anxiety and may be life-threatening. Experiencing a diabetes emergency can be very traumatic for a person and its prevention is paramount. In this session, you will learn about current best practice nursing care for common diabetes-related emergencies.

How to manage diabetes emergencies effectively
Early identification and prevention of diabetes emergencies
When to be concerned about hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia: the nursing actions required for each
Care of diabetes-related emergencies in the hospital and other settings – key differences
The emotional response of patients and their psychological support needs in relation to the potential for hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia
Practical case study discussions will support this session.

4:15pm - Close of Day One of Program

9:00am - Commencement of Day Two

9:00am

Diabetes Medication Update: Oral and Injectable Medicines

This session considers medications used in diabetes management. It looks at when and how they are used, including in older adults, and how they may assist with diet and exercise to help our patients achieve better blood glucose levels. For many people, the use of additional oral agents may not achieve ideal glycemic control. In such cases, injectable medicines may be required. This session will review the latest evidence in relation to treatment options and the different devices utilised for the administration of injectable medications. It includes:

Oral Medications

When should the initiation of these medications be considered?
What are the different modes of actions?
What are the recommended dosages and contraindications?
What side effects and interactions should nurses be aware of?

Injectable Medications

What is available for the treatment of diabetes?
When should these medications be considered?
What side effects and interactions must nurses be aware of?
What are the common regimens and how are these implemented?
What is the correct technique for injecting insulin?
How can optimal timing be achieved?
What issues can arise for patients?
How is the effectiveness of treatment evaluated?

10:30am - Morning Tea and Coffee

11:00am

Diabetes and Other Related Health Problems

There is a range of cardiovascular, microvascular, and macrovascular issues that can result from diabetes. This session explores some of the more common types of complications associated with diabetes, plus diabetes-related complications that may not have previously been apparent, and the nursing role in their identification and prevention.

What happens to the body at micro, neurological, and vascular levels – the implications
Eye conditions relating to diabetes
Renal-related issues and lesser-known complications
Team approaches to care

12:00pm

Foot Care for the Person with Diabetes

People with diabetes are particularly prone to problems with their feet caused by a range of complex physiological changes that occur as a result of the disease. Strategies for promotion of the healing process will be examined. This will include a practical session using a monofilament and interactive case studies. Discuss:

When a patient has diabetes, what pathophysiological changes can be expected in the lower limbs?
What are the Guidelines for assessing, managing, and monitoring a person's diabetic foot?
Why does diabetes trigger intractable problems such as peripheral neuropathy and what are the signs and symptoms?
Why do wounds, such as leg ulcers, heal at a different rate to those of people without diabetes?
What is the role of the podiatrist and other relevant team members?

12:30pm - Lunch Break and Networking

1:30pm

Motivational Challenges: Addressing Emotional Needs

Psychosocial issues can impact significantly on the ability of people to comply or adhere to their treatment regimens. When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, they are often required to make significant changes to their lifestyle. We will examine the implications for the patient, as well as the nurse, when compliance is an issue – with a focus on moving to wellness. Explore:

Strategies for changing behaviours or managing issues where people may resist treatment, have poor motivation, or repeatedly revert to unhelpful routines and habits
How to work together to identify issues that would benefit from a goal-focused approach for a person with diabetes and how to set realistic and achievable goals
How to encourage people with diabetes to have their annual comprehensive health review and check-up
Access to diabetes treatments and resources

Techniques included in this session can also be used in your daily life to achieve your own personal health goals!

2:15pm

Insulin and Legal Implications

Insulin is one of the most likely drugs to be implicated in a lethal medicine error. This session will focus on the prevention of nursing errors. It includes:

What are the current risks of insulin administration and what are the legal implications for nurses?
Which laws govern insulin administration?
What are the implications for health facilities?
Is your current nursing practice in relation to the administration of insulin safe and legal?

2:45pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee

3:15pm

What Help is out There?

This session will help you to facilitate a person with diabetes to access information, services, and subsidised resources. It looks at:

Types of services, organisations, and other resources that are available, and how to access them
Connecting with acute care, private, and community services to ensure people with diabetes are moving through the various systems and to prevent duplication of services
When to refer your patient and to whom
Communication between healthcare providers

3:45pm

Case Studies and Clinical Reasoning

In this final session, you will be presented with case studies that highlight some of the key points that have been made over the past two days. This will assist you to understand how complex theoretical care can result in successful outcomes when put into practice.

4:15pm - Close of Seminar and Evaluations

Presenters

Speakers for this event are still being confirmed

Need for Program

Diabetes is becoming more prevalent worldwide, and the associated nursing care is increasingly more complex. Nurses are at the forefront of both the prevention and management of diabetes and are critical to patient education and the minimisation of complications. Nurses across a wide range of healthcare settings have a key role in managing diabetes. Therefore, all nurses need ongoing access to quality education in order to be well informed about the latest evidence and best practice in the management of this complex chronic illness.

Purpose of Program

The purpose of this seminar is to provide nurses with a general update on modern adult diabetes management that translates into improved outcomes for patients with diabetes.

Your learning outcomes

Complete an assessment of a patient with diabetes and implement an evidence-based plan of care
Evaluate assessment techniques for patients with diabetes, including the effective use of tools, such as blood glucose meters, pathology, and monofilaments
Recognise when a person has metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, or issues with glycaemic control, and know how to develop an appropriate nursing care plan to prevent escalation of disease
Determine how lifestyle factors that impact on diabetes management relate to strategies for patient education