Introduction
Reducing Blood Sugar in Adult Patients-Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Nursing research and evidence-based practice are essential elements in the nursing field. They are essential in ensuring that nursing has a scientific basis and serves to guide healthcare. Research in nursing is responsible for promoting new knowledge that is accessible to nurses (Amy, 2022). The procedural integration of evidence-based nursing practice ensures that the new knowledge discovered through nursing research is combined into the decision-making in clinical practice, to do so that nurses can improve care results and ensure the most effective care is offered to their patients (Amy, 2022). This paper aims to discuss how nursing research and evidence-based practice are used in a project intended to reduce the level of blood sugar in adult patients admitted to the hospital.
Members of the nursing profession rely on scientific research initiatives and evidence-based practice. These two critical components help nurses understand the scientific reasons and information for their nursing tasks. In the main seek-after nursing obligations, the nurse genuinely relies on significant bits of knowledge to lead them in their everyday activities, which affects patient care (Camargo-Plazas et al., 2023). The bits of knowledge provide a method for the synthesis of nursing research, and evidence-based practice guides the nurses’ choices throughout their nursing obligations. Thus, the data bits, when used together, sensibly give the logical and purification reason for the nurse’s decisions.
Problem Identification
The increasing incidences of diabetes are a first-rate public health situation in the United States. Uncontrolled diabetes can cause critical non-communicable disease (NCDs), which includes cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Individuals with diabetes need to manage their situation enthusiastically, and one key aspect of the precautionary method is controlling their blood sugar measures. However, many adults with diabetes wrestle to effectively control their situation, thus increasing the frequency of diabetes-related health facility admissions and higher healthcare costs (Camargo-Plazas et al., 2023). Thus, the study will replicate an earlier confirmed diabetes result, which depicted that diabetes self-management training (DSME) can help minimize the level of blood sugar among participants (Bekele et al., 2021). The project will proceed with a literature review on the DSME technique and detail a step-by-step of how it has minimized the increase in diabetes-based hospital admissions.
Literature Review
This project assessed the literature on DSME to identify existing evidence-based studies on the usage of DSME in decreasing blood sugar stages in diabetic patients hospitalized at medical institutions. This project’s literature review focused on randomized controlled trials and systematic evaluations published within the ultimate five years (2020 to 2024). Five articles met the inclusion standards and had been critically appraised. The first article by Bekele et al. (2021) became a scientific review that evaluated the effectiveness of DSME in patients with Type II diabetes. The authors located that DSME is related to progressed glycemic control, such as a tremendous reduction in HbA1c stages. The second article, by Angkurawaranon et al. (2020), became a randomized managed trial that compared the efficacy of a nurse-led DSME program to traditional diabetes sensitization and awareness. The effects confirmed a statistically large lower in blood sugar stages in the intervention institution as compared to the control institution. The third article, by Amy (2022), was a doctoral dissertation turned into a scientific evaluation that examined the impact of DSME on hospital readmissions in diabetic patients, especially diabetes type II. The authors concluded that DSME can reduce health center readmissions and enhance self-care behaviors in adults with diabetes.
The fourth study, with the aid of Camargo-Plazas et al. (2023), was a scientific review of the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of DSME. The authors located that the need for more support from healthcare professionals and patient’s loss of motivation were fundamental barriers to the implementation of DSME. The last article, by Chen et al. (2021), was a randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effect of digital DSME in decreasing blood sugar levels in victims with Type II diabetes. The results confirmed a significant reduction in HbA1C stages in the intervention institution as compared to the management organization.
Intervention
Upon completion of the literature review, the intervention chosen for this project was a traditional DSME program delivered by a registered nurse. The program consisted of 4 sessions, which lasted one hour each and included the following topics: self-monitoring of blood glucose, medication management, healthy eating, and physical activity. The sessions were spaced two weeks apart, with a follow-up session at six weeks. The program also included the utilization of motivational interviewing techniques to explore potential barriers to adherence and to facilitate behavior change.
Data Collection and Analysis
A convenience sample of adult patients (N=38) admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of Type II diabetes was used. Participant’s baseline blood sugar levels were taken following admission and completion of a questionnaire to measure knowledge and self-efficacy related to diabetes self-management. Rechecking blood sugar levels took place after the DSME program, and a six-week follow-up was implemented to measure the longer-term effect of the intervention. Descriptive statistics (means/standard deviations) were utilized to give sample characteristics and the changes over time in blood sugar levels. Paired t-tests were used to compare the pre- and post-intervention blood sugar levels. For the qualitative data from the questionnaires, a thematic analysis was completed to identify common themes related to participants’ knowledge and self-efficacy.
Results
The DSME program was completed by a total of 50 participants who also attended the follow-up assessment. The average age of the participants was 58 years, and the majority were female (58%). The average initial blood sugar level was 189 mg/dL, and the initial level was 8.7%. After the participants completed the DSME program, the average blood sugar level dropped to 144 mg/dL(the “goal” is 80–130 mg/dL), and participants’ HbA1clevel had dropped to 7.3% (7% is ideal) (p<0.001). The majority of participants also said their diabetes knowledge and self-efficacy went up after the intervention.
Discussion
Project results support previous evidence that DSME significantly reduces blood glucose in patients with diabetes. This project stresses the importance of the utilization of evidence-based practices in nursing interventions to obtain positive patient outcomes. By replication of a previously proven result, this project has advanced the evidence base and supported the use of DSME in clinical practice. However, this project had several limitations, including the small sample size and use of a convenience sample, which may need to be more representative of the general population. In addition, the project was conducted in a single hospital, which limits its generalization to other settings. The intervention’s short follow-up period (6 weeks) also restricts the ability to evaluate the long-term effects (Camargo-Plazas et al., 2023). Nursing research and evidence-based practice are vital aspects of the nursing profession. The success of this project has been in replicating the result of a proven study in lowering blood sugar levels in admitted adult patients. By infusing evidence-based practices into clinical decision-making, nurses can improve patient outcomes and advance the profession.
References
Amy, A. G. (2022). Improving the utilization of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) for patients with type II diabetes in the primary care setting. https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/handle/1/16828
Angkurawaranon, C., Nadal, I. P., Mallinson, P. A. C., Pinyopornpanish, K., Quansri, O., Rerkasem, K., … & Kinra, S. (2020). Scalable solution for delivery of diabetes self-management education in Thailand (DSME-T): a cluster randomized trial study protocol. BMJ open, 10(10), e036963. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-036963
Bekele, B. B., Negash, S., Bogale, B., Tesfaye, M., Getachew, D., Weldekidan, F., & Balcha, B. (2021). Effect of diabetes self-management education (DSME) on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level among patients with T2DM: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 15(1), 177-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2020.12.030
Camargo-Plazas, P., Robertson, M., Alvarado, B., Paré, G. C., Costa, I. G., & Duhn, L. (2023). Diabetes self-management education (DSME) for older persons in Western countries: A scoping review. Plos one, 18(8), e0288797. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288797
Chen, Y., Tian, Y., Sun, X., Wang, B., & Huang, X. (2021). Effectiveness of empowerment-based intervention on HbA1c and self-efficacy among cases with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine, 100(38), e27353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000027353
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