reflection Learning!!!!

Description of the epidemiologic principles and the measures utilized to address the practice issue.

            The selected issue is diabetes and it is based on the report from the National Diabetes in November 2019. According to this report, there are about 30 million adults of ages above 18 years and suffer from diabetes with a total of 84 million with prediabetes. Among the persons of ages 64 years and above, one in four are approximated to have diabetes and one in two with prediabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Prediabetes persons are at higher risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

            The epidemiological principles and the measure that is being proposed to help in addressing the issue of diabetes is the delay process. This is achieved through the use of a structured lifestyle change program that helps in the promotion of weight loss, healthy eating, and the increase in physical activity. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is also involved in the awareness campaign that is targeted at increasing access to diabetes self-management education and support services (Andres et al., 2019). It is focused on assisting individuals with diabetes to ensure effective management of their daily diabetes care.

The utilization of descriptive and analytical epidemiology to address the issue.

            The descriptive epidemiology has been used to address the issue by presenting the age group that is mostly affected by the diabetes condition and requires a structured lifestyle change program. According to the website, diabetes condition is common in individuals of ages 18 years and above. It also reports that persons of age 65 years and above are at higher risk of being diagnosed with this condition for example one in four people are likely to be diagnosed with diabetes while one in two is likely to be prediabetes (Andres et al., 2019). Therefore, these individuals must be supported with weight loss, healthy eating, and the increase in physical activities programs to reduce their level of risks of being diagnosed with this condition or suffer from the complication of the disease as a result of the poor management or late diagnosis. 

            The analytic epidemiology has also been used to help in addressing the problem for example the poor lifestyle choices associated with the poor management of the body weight, poor diets, and the inactiveness in the physical exercise or the sedentary lifestyle (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). The report recommends that structured lifestyle changes that are focused on addressing these predisposing factors are helpful in the management of this condition and reduction in the reported cases of diabetes in the United States.

The additional measures that can be used to integrate the proposed changes into practice.

            One important approach is to ensure that there is utilization and implementation of telemedicine. This is important in the promotion of the effective monitoring process of the patients for their vital signs such as body weight and blood glucose. It also helps in monitoring the level of exercise activities that the individuals take part in the process of reducing the risks of complications from the disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). It is also important to improve on the efforts made to ensure that the foods that are accessed by the children for example the processed foods have the desired level of sugar and fats to reduce the risks of exposing the population to the increased body weight and diabetes.

The professional experience related to the topic.

            The personal experience concerning the management of the diabetes condition is the implementation of healthy lifestyle and use the medication as it is instructed by the health care provider. This involves having a healthy diet like low saturated fat and cholesterol as well as diet with moderate amount of carbohydrate.  Also, client needs to be actively involved in the physical exercise and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, and effective adherence to the medication. There is also an effective process of monitoring the glucose level through taking both fasting and random blood sugar using the glucometer at home. In addition, having and strict control of the blood glucose at home is very important in order to reduce risk for complications of the Diabetes Mellitus.

References

Andres, L. J., Li, Y., & Srinivasan, M. (2019). Diabetes prevalence and incidence among Medicare beneficiaries—United States, 2001–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 68, 961-966.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, November 1). National Diabetes Month — November 2019. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 68(43), 961.