1. By Judith Croasmun

2. Ask if the patient has anyone in their family with diabetes ( rationale: allows them to voice any knowledge of the disease learned from family members). Find out if they have family members that can be a support system for them. Patients often have pre-conceived notions on what happens to those who have diabetes including, loss of limbs through amputations.

3. People with diabetes go through many different feelings on having diabetes including : Anger Fear Depression Grief Loss of control.

4. Get the patient supplies and a monitor. Set up the machine with date and time and memory. Instruct them to bring the monitor to every visit to check their levels in case if they don’t record in a log.

5. Make a verbal contract with the patient, to make a commitment to check their blood sugar/ glucose level twice a day for at least 2 weeks and to record the date, time, and the BS level in a journal.

6. Give pt written information on the signs and symptoms of both hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia. Instruct patient to use it to educate the patients family on the signs and symptoms in the event the patient’s glucose is out of whack. Especially if the patient is unaware of their levels or if they are not acting normal and are acting confused and sleepy ect.