30224 Diabetes: Updates, Reminders, Medications, and Treatments

Course overview

Discussion about diabetes mellitus (DM) updates, reminders, medications, and treatments. Topics include the incidence and prevalence of DM in the United States; types of DM, metabolic syndrome, and prediabetes, as well as the diagnostic criteria for each; different types of diabetic medications on the market and their basic mechanism of action; the difference between diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), as well as the treatments for those conditions; major complications of DM; and the educational needs of patients newly diagnosed with DM. There is an increasing incidence of obesity in the United States population that leads to an increased incidence of Type II diabetes in that population. There are multiple updates on diabetes medications over the past several years and nurses need to have updates on the mechanism of action of those medications. Nurses who do not regularly see DKA and HHS in their practice need reminders on standards of care for treatment. Nurses also need reminders on educational needs of the patients that are newly diagnosed with DM and how to educate those patients in order to decrease complications related to DM.