Evidenced Based Management of Type I Diabetes Mellitus
Successful management of Type I Diabetes requires:
- Regular blood glucose monitoring
- Blood glucose control via insulin therapy
(Pellico, 2013)
What is insulin therapy?
Since the pancreas is not capable of producing insulin on its own, daily insulin injections (insulin therapy) are required to facilitate bodily glucose absorption for people – like our patient – with Type I Diabetes Mellitus (American Diabetes Association, 2014; Pellico, 2013).
There are four types of insulin:
- Insulin comes dissolved or suspended in a liquid and is generally injected subcutaneously with a syringe. Other forms of administration include the use of an insulin pen or insulin pump (American Diabetes Association, 2014).
- Rapid-acting and short-acting insulins are usually administered 15 to 30 minutes before meals to cover the increase in glucose levels that occur after eating. Intermediate-acting insulin is usually given after a meal to cover subsequent meals for that same day. Long-acting insulin is used to provide daily coverage because it helps to maintain a relatively constant (basal) level of insulin (Pellico, 2013).
Other crucial management factors for Type I Diabetes:
- Achieving moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
- Eating healthily by following a low-fat, low-sugar, low-sodium diet and monitoring carb intake.
- No smoking!
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014)