Case Study: Developing a Teaching Plan for Type 2 Diabetes Management

This case study focuses on a 54-year-old man, Daniel, recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, presenting with impaired vision. As a nurse educator, the assignment requires developing a comprehensive teaching plan for Daniel, covering essential aspects of diabetes management. The plan includes objectives related to diet, exercise, glucose monitoring, and medication adherence. The teaching strategy involves an overview of the condition, monitoring techniques, medication education, and lifestyle modifications, including diet and exercise. The plan emphasizes the importance of a patient-centered approach and the use of teaching strategies to ensure patient motivation and understanding. The effectiveness of the teaching plan is measured by the patient's ability to adopt healthy behaviors and achieve desired health outcomes, with pedagogy and andragogy as the teaching-learning theory underpinning the approach. The case study incorporates references to relevant literature to support the teaching plan and the evidence-based approach to managing Type 2 Diabetes.

Running head: TYPE 2 DIABETES 1
Type 2 Diabetes
Name
Institution

TYPE 2 DIABETES 2
Type 2 Diabetes
The case study provided is about a 54-year-old man named Daniel who has been diagnosed by
type 2 diabetes. The patient’s assessment form has impaired vision as one of the risk factors that
Daniel has. The patient comes into the healthcare facility to seek education regarding how to deal
with her condition. As a nurse educator, I have to educate the patient on issues such as glucose
monitoring, diet, foot care, and oral anti-diabetic medication.
During the recommended 2 hour period, I must identify some teaching objectives and outcomes
that the patient should experience to ensure that quality health outcomes are achieved. One of the
teaching objectives of this health education is that the patient understands safe and healthy diets
that will help him in fighting his condition (Veenema, 2012). Sometimes patients find it very
challenging to know the types of food they should eat after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
It is also important to note that there is no specific diet for diabetic people but it is the
responsibility of the patient to practice healthy eating habits and avoid potential diabetes-related
complications such as stroke, heart problems, and some types of cancers (McCance & Huether,
2015). My teaching plan must, therefore, try to help the patient in making changes in their diet
that are realistic and achievable. The outcome should be to help the patient in controlling their
blood sugar and reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications.
It would be important to advise Daniel to consume foods rich in complex carbohydrates such as
fruits, oatmeal, whole meat, beans, and vegetables. Processed food that is rich in simple
carbohydrates such as sugar and white bread must be avoided at all costs. The diet plans must
also not lead to weight gain because obesity makes it difficult to control blood sugar thus
increasing the risk of experiencing diabetes-related complications (McCance & Huether, 2015).

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Another objective of the teaching plan is that Mr. Daniel will be able to describe the significance
of regular exercise in controlling and monitoring blood glucose. Physical exercise is just as
important as a meal or diet plan in the management of type 2 diabetes. Regular exercises are
fundamental in controlling blood glucose thus helping in preventing long-term complications
like kidney disease and heart problems. Exercise helps in reducing the level of glucose in the
blood because muscles utilize glucose during exercises (Veenema, 2012). Another teaching
objective is that Daniel will be able to self-monitor their blood glucose with the help of a blood
glucose meter. Finally, Mr. Daniel will be able to describe the importance of diabetes
medications and how to appropriately take these medications.
It is important to note that the teaching plan is aimed at helping Mr. Daniel in making lifestyle
choices that will promote his health. This teaching plan must be accompanied by appropriate
teaching strategies to ensure that the patient is motivated enough to follow the plan to
completion. Teaching strategies will begin with a general overview of type 2 diabetes. Daniel
must know what diabetes is before he can handle it. Once he understands this condition and the
complicated processes associated with it then he can easily comply with the proposed teaching
plan and medication. During this overview, the patient should be taught about blood glucose
monitoring, the goals of monitoring and its importance. He should also be made aware of the
reasons for monitoring his blood glucose level. The values read from the glucose meter should be
recorded and used as a reference in future monitoring. This helps the patient in tracking his
progress and knowing whether he is improving.
The teaching strategy should also involve Daniel being reminded about medication and insulin.
Mr. Daniel must, however, know that the addition of medication in his care plan is not an
indication that he is failing in his diet plan. This teaching is important because some patients

TYPE 2 DIABETES 4
experience depression as a result of taking insulin and oral hyperglycemic medications.
However, when they are taught the importance of these medications in addition to the various
types of oral diabetic drugs, then they find it easy to follow the recommended prescription
(Bruyere, 2009). This is also the period when Daniel is taught about self-administration of
insulin and oral diabetic drugs and the importance of medication adherence. This strategy also
helps Daniel in understanding the signs and symptoms of both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia
and the action that should be taken in either case.
This teaching plan should also incorporate education on diabetes-related complications. This
helps Daniel in understanding how to manage his type 2 diabetes in cases of small illnesses like
flu or cold (Bruyere, 2009). He must also know how to watch and interpret other diabetes-related
conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, coronary artery disease, and kidney disease
among others (Veenema, 2012). Additionally, Mr. Daniel must understand the importance of
exercise that may be aimed at weight loss if he is classified as being overweight. Studies have
revealed that weight loss helps in the control of blood glucose (McCance & Huether, 2015). The
next strategy is teaching Daniel how to practice a healthy diet to help in managing his condition.
Finally, I will teach him how to cope with type 2 diabetes. He must understand that diabetes is a
lifelong disease process that requires a very serious commitment to lifestyle changes.
This strategy is better than any other strategy because it has the advantage of taking the patient in
stages to ensure that they understand their condition and how to deal with it. The strategy also
shows the patient that a diabetic nurse educator understands their condition and is committed to
helping them thus creating a patient-nurse relationship. One disadvantage to this strategy,
however, is that it is time-consuming and it may take a lot of time for the desired outcomes to be
achieved.

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Pedagogy and andragogy is the teaching-learning theory that underpins the above teaching
method. The effectiveness of the teaching can be measured when Daniel manages to follow a
healthy eating and exercise plan. Daniel’s engagement can be stimulated by making the teaching
process patient-based so that he is made an important part of the decision-making process
involving his education plan. His understanding of the entire plan can be evaluated if the desired
health and teaching outcomes are achieved.

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References
Bruyere, H. (2009). 100 case studies in pathophysiology. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
McCance, K., & Huether, S. (2015). Pathophysiology (7th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby.
Veenema, T. (2012). Disaster nursing and emergency preparedness for chemical, biological,
and radiological terrorism and other hazards (3rd ed.). New York: Springer Publishing
Company.