Background:
An increasing number of diagnostic procedures and
shortened length of stay impede education for patients with
diabetes mellitus attending an acute care unit. Therefore, an
individualized approach to patient education may be more
suitable.
Patients and
Methods:
The educational needs of inpatients with diabetes
attending a department of general internal medicine were
analyzed using a structured 5- to 10-minute interview. Within a
period of 4 months, all patients with diabetes mellitus referred
to the IVth Medical Department (speciality: geriatrics) were
screened. Screening took place close to the day of admission.
Following the screening interview, the interviewer initiated an
individualized diabetes education according to the patient’s
needs and resources. The screening interview covered clinical
data, functional limitations and disabilities, diabetes
complications, patient’s competence and motivation for further
education.
Results:
205 patients with diabetes were seen (prevalence: 30.0%).
24 of them were newly diagnosed (prevalence: 3.5%). Overall, the
screening revealed remarkable heterogeneity in patients with
diabetes mellitus. 45 patients with previously known diabetes
denied any diabetes education prior to hospital admission.
Shorter diabetes duration, cognitive impairment, and treatment
without insulin were significant and independent risk factors
for missing diabetes education. Only 17.4% of patients on an
insulin regimen prior to hospital admission performed no
monitoring of blood glucose at home. Most patients holding their
own blood glucose monitoring device performed daily
measurements. Finally, 119 lessons of individual diabetes
education were initialized in 73 patients (incidence: 17.4% of
all admitted patients).
Conclusion:
Lack of education is common. As heterogeneity of patients
with diabetes is striking, diabetes education has to be tailored
to the individual needs and resources of the patients attending
an acute care unit. Therefore, an individualized approach has
proven to be suitable. In this context, a short structured
interview is a useful tool for data assessment and scheduling of
education lessons.