Category: Physical Health Conditions
Diabetes Mellitus: Part 3 – Understanding Health Advice and Treatment Options
In this final post, I examine the rationale behind the “do’s & don’ts” of diabetic health promotion, and provide resources for you to find out more about any pharmacotherapy your service users may be prescribed. Health Promotion When managing Type 2 diabetes (DM2), health promotion is arguably the most important of interventions: not only can it help to reduce …
Diabetes Mellitus: Part 2 – Understanding the Signs and Symptoms
In this post, I focus on the implications of insulin absence/resistance. In other words, the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus. There are numerous signs and symptoms to watch for if the condition goes undiagnosed or untreated. I will categorise these as: Raised blood glucose levels. Tissue degeneration, and immune system / tissue repair dysfunction. Increased cardiovascular disease …
Diabetes Mellitus: Part 1 – Understanding Glucose and Insulin
In a previous blog post, I explained the relevance of metabolic syndrome to mental health nursing. Elevated fasting blood glucose is a diagnostic criterion of metabolic syndrome, and is caused by a steady increase in insulin resistance. Without intervention or a change in lifestyle, this is likely to develop into Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2). But what exactly does …
Electrocardiograms
Mental health service users are more likely than the general population to experience cardiovascular disease. This may be due to ischaemic events through stress or an unhealthy lifestyle, or they can arise from drug-induced QT interval prolongation. As a result, RMNs are likely to encounter service users who require an electrocardiogram (ECG). This post provides …