Diabetic Scenario


Read over the diabetic scenario below and then use your PDA to find information about this condition so you can provide appropriate nursing care.

Diabetic Scenario:

JT is a new admission on your assigned clinical unit.  He is a 48 year old white male who has been newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.  He is 6 feet tall and weighs 304 lbs.  He has no other health problems.  He is prescribed the medication Glipizide.  You have been assigned by your clinical faculty to care for JT over the next two days of clinical.

  • Use the RnDisease software in your PDA to find out specific information about diabetes.  Select Main Index at the top arrow. Type in diabetes. Select Diabetes mellitus. Become familiar with the right side bar items:
    • Introduction (I)
    • Causes (CA)
    • Genetic Considerations (GC)
    • Gender, Ethnic/Racial and Life Span Considerations (GE)
    • Assessment (A)
    • Primary Nursing Diagnosis (PR)
    • Planning and Implementation (PI)
    • Documentation Guidelines (D)

Go back and select Diabetes mellitus. Then select Types of Diabetes Mellitus. Look at the table that appears.

  • What is JT's desired weight? Use the Archimedes software. Click on Table of Contents and then on Body. Scroll down to Ideal Body Weight. 
  • Convert JT's weight to Kilograms. Use Archimedes. Go to Main Index and then Weights. 
  • What is the normal blood glucose for your patient? Use MosbyLab. Type in glucose. Select glucose, blood. Become familiar with the right side bar items:
    • Normal Findings (NF)
    • Critical Values (CV)
    • Test Explanation (TE)
    • Clinical Concerns (CC)
    • Procedure (P)
    • Abnormal Findings (AF)
    • Alternate Names (AF)
    • Test Type (TT)
  • The doctor orders a double voided urine specimen. Use the Tabers software to find out the correct procedure for collecting this specimen. Type in double-voided. Select double-voided urine. 
  • What is the normal dose of Glipizide?  Use the DrugGuide software. Make sure you are in the Main Index or Generic Index. Type in Glipizide. What reactions can occur when taking Glipizide? Become familiar with the right side bar items:
    • Indications (I)
    • Action (A)
    • Pharmacokinetics (Pk)
    • Contraindications/Precautions (CP)
    • Adverse Reactions/Side Effects (AE)
    • Interactions (Ix)
    • Route/Dosage (Do)
    • Implementation (Im) 
  • What would the priority nursing diagnosis be for JT? Use the RnDisease software. 
  • What are the primary symptoms of diabetes? Use the RnDisease software. Make sure you are looking at the Main Index. When you click on Diabetes mellitus, select Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment. 
  • What is the ICD-9 code for diabetes mellitus? Use the ICD-9-CM software. Type in diabetes. Select Diabetes mellitus.