Blood sugar control is the best way to prevent serious diabetes complications, such as blindness and amputations. Those with diabetes can take steps to control their blood sugar levels by following a healthy diet, taking medication as prescribed and testing often. A good tool for assessing your blood sugar is a glucose monitor.
1. Educate the Patient
Many DSMES services use marketing strategies to promote their program and recruit clients. These include describing the ideal range of blood sugar for peak mental and physical performance, and suggesting that monitoring can save money on prescription drugs or improve health in some other way. These notions have not been tested or proven.
Educators should encourage patients to bring their blood glucose documentation, including meal description and time, exercise details, medicine doses and times, and meter code verification (if applicable) to every medical visit. In addition, educators should help patients understand the nuances of insurance coverage for meters and strips and how to obtain them.
