Question

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Susan is an 8-year-old girl who has been brought to her pediatrician by her mother for a weight loss of 5 pounds over the past 2 months, despite an increased food intake.

Subjective Data

Susan complains of thirst, hunger, and frequent voiding.

Objective Data

Today’s weight: 25 kg

Weight from a physical examination 6 months ago: 27.3 kg

Finger stick glucose: 325

Hemoglobin A1c: 9.1

Urinalysis: glycosuria

pH: 7.34

Father was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 8 years.

Questions:

Will Susan require hospitalization?

Susan plays after-school sports; will she have to stop these activities?

What actions should the nurse take in this situation? Prioritize the actions

Answer 1

1. Yes, Susan requires immediate medical attention as well as hospitalization since the kid has excess of sugar in her body.

2. No. A condition of diabetes here would not affect any physical activities of Susan including sports. But yes, there are fair chances that healthcare provider of Susan might ask her to take particular food items that maintain an optimal amount of glucose in her blood. The specialist may also prescribe insulin medication to Susan.

3. The very first action of the nurse would be to properly assess the problem of Susan. She will collect a proper set of vitals and urine dipstick to have a check on her nlood glucose and blood pH. The second step would be proper assessment and the interpretation of the collected data and an ulimate nursing diagnosis would be obtained. The nurse is most likely to follow the ABC framework of nursing diagnosis and hence she will advocate for the patient based on the intevention. She will ask the pediatrician to have a look into this matter. If required the nurse may even refer the patient to some specialized hospital for advanced evaluation and proper education of the patient and her family. It is the duty of the nurse to make sure that the patient is getting proper medical attention and care at the hospital. There are high chances that the administration of insulin would be prescribed by the doctor. Hence, it becomes the core responsibility of the nurse to inform the patient as well as her family about the procedure of insulin adminstration and relevant education related to the medical condition. Apart from all these, nurse will also take care of all the paperwork like patient medical history and records.