Patient education brochure about diabetes

You work in the office of an endocrinologist.  He has asked you to develop a draft of an initial patient education brochure about diabetes.  He has jotted some notes, handed them to you, and asked you to make them "patient friendly."

Learning about Diabetes
(Describe briefly what body system the pancreas is a part of and how it works to produce insulin.)

When a person has diabetes, they either have problems producing enough insulin or the body has problems using it.  If you need insulin, that means your pancreas is not producing enough insulin to meet your body's needs.

Symptoms of diabetes often include polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia. An initial test if diabetes is suspected is a fasting plasma glucose test.

If diabetes is confirmed and insulin is required, you will be instructed as to how to administer this medication and in what doses.  You will need to have regular exams by your physician to ensue that complications of diabetes are minimized. For example, some complications include retinopathy, nephropathy, lower extremity sensory neuropathy, atherosclerosis, and hypertension.

While the thought of possibly having diabetes may seem overwhelming, you should know that there are many resources to help you.  We will provide assistance in whatever ways you need.

Attached file(s):

UNIT5draftpractice MT.doc  View File