The main issues I am faced with are: illiteracy; no knowledge of what diabetes is; what the risk factors, risk habits and major organs affected are; how to measure blood glucose levels.
We started by a physical evaluation of each patient that joined the project; next we taught about food habits (food to be avoided, how many meals/day,) and the “diabetes paradox”: hyperglycemia. Most diabetics do not understand this.
We also talked about diabetic ketoacidosis vs. hyperglycemia.
We expound on the Diabetic foot, and how to prevent an ingrown toenail, and explained which the 4 major organs that diabetes can damage are (Heart, Eyes, Kidney, and Feet).
We elucidated on Diabetes mellitus; differences of Type 1 diabetes; Type 2 diabetes; Gestational diabetes. We clarified what Glucose levels in plasma, vs. glucose measurements in blood are.
We described the medication for each type and we taught people to measure blood sugar levels with a vast collection of home blood glucose level testing kits (measuring devices and strips).
I ordered some new measuring devices that have sound, “they talk” and are precious to illiterate people (in Portugal all the glucose meters are free).
Research question: if you were in Portugal I would say, research on new types of medicine associations’ or a research on all available glucose meters and main differences (test strips; coding ; volume of blood sample; testing times; display; clock/memory and data transfer); there are so many people not knowing how to work with them; some are really complicated.
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