Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation - DIABETES EDUCATION CENTRE
Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation - DIABETES EDUCATION CENTRE
he Diabetes Education Centre, under the direction of Internal Medicine physicians called Endocrinologists, specialized Nurses and Dietitians, is a service aimed at helping patients diagnosed with diabetes. The Diabetes Education Centre, open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, helps patients to manage their diet, activity and medication regimes, and assists family members, friends and the public to increase their understanding of a disease that affects thousands of Canadians each year.
Patients may be diagnosed with any of the following types of diabetes:
* Diabetes Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that usually appears in childhood and destroys the pancreatic cells that make insulin
* Diabetes Type 2 occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that it does produce, or both
* Gestational Diabetes is a temporary condition that may occur during pregnancy
Diabetes Pregnancy (Gestational) Clinics, which provide instruction to pregnant women who have developed high blood sugars, is a service of Diabetes Education. At these sessions, the patient receives individualized instruction and education by the physician, nurse and dietitian, and generalized education needed to cope with the additional stress of diabetes during pregnancy.
The area of greatest growth for the Diabetes Education Centre is the Diabetes Management Classes. Each month, more than 75 referrals are sent to the Department from Family Physicians who have identified patients requiring diabetes management education. Since 1974, the Department has seen more than 10,000 patients attend the Diabetes Management Classes offered. Three-day classes include instruction in several key areas including:
1.
defining and describing the disease
2.
recognizing and treating hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
3.
recognizing and treating hypoglycemia DKA (high blood sugar)
4.
insulin instruction
5.
oral medications that treat diabetes
6.
the requirement for and technique of foot care
7.
appropriate management of diabetes when ill with other conditions, ie flu, cold
8.
hints for managing diabetes when traveling
9.
general survival skills
10. nutrition and diet
Follow-Up Visits, Review Classes, Insulin Instruction, Home Glucose Monitoring, Carbohydrate Counseling, and Managing Continuous Insulin Infusion Pumps complement the Diabetes Management Classes and account for 50,000 visits since opening in 1974.
The work carried out by the AHSC Diabetes Education Centre is expected to increase in the coming years, and strategies to meet these increased demands will be essential. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the total number of people world-wide with diabetes will double to 239 million by the year 2010.
AHSC Mailing Address:
Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation
P O Box 5200
400 University Avenue
Saint John, NB
E2L 4L4
