Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. And if I tell you about the statistics. Then, you will be shocked to know that 14% of adults over 18 years have diabetes. This number has risen to a shocking 59% among adults over 30 years.

And you know what’s interesting? Well, half of them don’t even know that they are diabetic.

Yeah, that is a big dilemma. But unfortunately it is a reality. And nurses should always be prepared to deal with diabetic patients. As they would likely to be their most common patients.

So, in this blog, I will help you create an outstanding nursing care plan for your diabetic patients. To help you treat them effectively in the right manner. So, let it get started.

What Is a Nursing Care Plan?

If you are wondering that what this plan is all about. Then don’t worry just take a deep breath. And I will tell you everything that you need to know about it.

Well, a nursing care plan is a written document that helps nurses in keeping coordinated about the patient’s health. So, this plan outlines the problems, goals, medications and every important thing that nurses need to know.

So, you can say that it serves as a guide for nurses. To help them understand the basic condition of their patients.

But today, we will only be focusing on nursing care plans for diabetic patients. This plan usually outlines the following:

• Blood sugar level
• Preventing any complications and
• Educating the patients about their condition

Why Are They Important?

I know what is going on in your mind right now. You must be wondering that what makes them so special. Well, I got few amazing pointers for you to understand their importance for diabetic patients.

• They promote holistic care for diabetic patients. Thus promote improved health conditions.
• It offers a clear plan for nurses. Hence, help them stay organized and on track.
• It promotes patient participation in improving their health.
• Allows nurses to prevent any further complications through proper care and medication.

Steps to Create a Nursing Care Plan for Diabetes

I know it might seem hard to you. But trust me, it is not that difficult. In fact, there are professional Nursing Care Plan Writers as well who can help you craft a perfect one for you.

Anyhow, I have broken it down into simple steps to make it easy to understand.

1.      Assess your Patient

The first step in creating your plan is to gather all the right information. So, talk to your patient and go through their records. And add everything related to their health, including:

• Medical History
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Current condition
• Medications

2.      Identify Nursing Diagnoses

Now once you got all the information. It is time to identify specific nursing diagnosis for them. Such diagnosis defined the problems of the patient that must be addressed by the nurses.

Common nursing diagnosis in the case of diabetes include:

• Any risk for unstable blood glucose levels
• Lack of awareness among patients about their condition
• Possible risk of infection and many more

3.      Set Goals

Now you need to set goals for yourself as a nurse. Also, it must focus on improving the health of your patients.

4.      Plan Interventions

You can now plan specific interventions for your patient. So, plan measures that you must take to assist patients in achieving those goals.

So, keep monitoring their blood glucose and educate your patients about their condition and their medications.

5.      Evaluate Progress

Finally, it is time to evaluate what you have done. Obviously, it is not always possible that all of your measures will turn out to be perfect. Sometimes, your strategies or plan of action might not work.

So, you really need to keep check on them. As if no improvement is observed. Then you can change or alter your current interventions and try out something new.

Phew, that is it. See, it was not that hard.

Nursing Assessment in Diabetes

Well, now we know how to create a nursing care plan for diabetes patients. We are done with paper work. Now, let us actually see what you really need to do as a nurse for your diabetic patients.

Diabetes greatly affects our other organs as well. Therefore, nurses really need to work on them and assess any such conditions or symptoms. Here is what you need to check.

• Diabetes greatly effects the kidneys. It eventually leads to salt and water retention in the blood with increased chances of higher blood pressure. So, a nurse should always keep track of blood pressure with sugar levels.
• The respiratory rate of diabetic patients should be checked constantly to see if it’s functioning properly.
• You know diabetes has a huge impact on your feet sometimes and can affect the psychological condition of a patient as well. So, it must be recorded.
• All sensory functions should be checked frequently.

Key Considerations for Diabetes Nursing Care Plans

Well, an effective care plan for diabetes requires attention to various factors that include:

• Spreading awareness among patients about diabetes.
• Addressing their emotional needs
• Preventing any further complications.

Common Interventions for Diabetes Care Plans

Here are some most common interventions that you will really like to include in your care plan. It is more kind of your go to list.

• Keep monitoring the blood glucose levels of patients.
• Manage proper medication of the patient as per their current condition.
• Provide them with nutritional support to deal with their medical condition.
• Encourage your patients to indulge in regular exercise activities to promote a healthy lifestyle.
• Inspect the skin of your patients daily to check for any wounds. And provide appropriate care for it.

Final Words

In a nutshell, diabetes is one of the most common disease that nurses have to deal with in their nursing career. Therefore, they must know how to create a nursing care plan for diabetic patient to succeed in their future endeavors.

This helps nurses in staying coordinated. And provide them with a clear path to help patients in improving their health conditions. And prevent them from any complications.

So, remember that practice is the key. You must create a personalized plan for each diabetic patient as per their unique needs and requirements. And provide them with the best care.