By Jane Seley, NP, BC-ADM, CDE. Seley coordinates the Diabetes Under Control column in AJN and is a diabetes nurse practitioner at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
By Mel B./via Flickr
I’m at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 70th Scientific Sessions, which takes place from June 25-June 29th in Orlando. The ADA Scientific Sessions is an important forum for diabetes researchers and clinicians from all over the world to present research findings, network, and share ideas.
There are over 17,000 health care professionals registered from all over the world, 700 speakers, 2000 research posters, and 175 device and pharmaceutical company exhibitors. Every year, new diabetes treatments and technologies are discussed and displayed. Some highlights of sessions so far:
1) Implications of U.S. health care reform on the care and prevention of diabetes: Health care reform has the potential to have a huge impact on the millions of people with prediabetes and diabetes who have inadequate or no insurance coverage. Many of our patients have to make difficult decisions around checking blood glucose and taking insulin because of the high cost of medications and supplies and poor reimbursement. People with diabetes can spend hundreds of dollars every month for medication and self-management supplies. Nurses need to be proactive in assisting patients in accessing all available resources and lobbying for better reimbursement for diabetes care.
2) Pancreas not to blame in gastric bypass–related hypoglycemia: Hypoglycemia that may occur post gastric bypass surgery was thought to be a result of abnormal pancreatic islet cells. A recent study found that the beta cells in the pancreas function properly postoperatively. The mechanism of post gastric bypass hypoglycemia remains a mystery. As nurses, we have to monitor our patients carefully postoperatively and make sure that diabetes medications are appropriately reduced if the insulin requirements dramatically decline.
Mega Hamburger/Marshall Astor, via Flickr
3) The symposium on “What influences what we eat?” by Amy Ozier, PhD, RD, an expert in eating disorders and obesity at Northern Illinois University, was well received. Dr Ozier is creator of the EADES (Eating & Appraisal Due to Emotions and Stress) Questionnaire. She discussed the psychological and physical factors that modulate how much we eat. Ozier uses the questionnaire to assess whether eating is a response to stress and emotions and examines coping mechanisms. When caring for a patient with hyperglycemia or a high A1c indicating poor glycemic control, we need to look at contributing factors such as overeating as well as what may be triggering the behavior. Read the rest of this entry ?
