Education is Crucial to Prevent Hypoglycemia in Patients with Diabetes
Jennifer Goldman, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, discusses key risk factors for hypoglycemia and what education programs should emphasize so people with diabetes and their caregivers can improve its management.
Diabetes is a serious public health concern in the United States. Over 38 million Americans have the condition, with an additional 97.6 million estimated to have pre-diabetes.1 Diabetes prevalence is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, highlighting the critical need to increase prevention and management efforts.2
Hypoglycemia, which is when plasma glucose concentration is low, is a common complication in patients with diabetes. There are numerous risk factors and symptoms of hypoglycemia, and it is associated with increased morbidity. In order to prevent episodes of hypoglycemia, educating patients and caregivers on prevention and management is key.3
In the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Standards of Care, the organization recommends that all patients taking insulin or those at high risk for hypoglycemia should be prescribed glucagon.4 The ADA also recommends that family, caregivers, school personnel, and others who provide support to patient with diabetes be educated on how to administer glucagon and where it is located in case of emergency.
In an interview with Drug Topics, Jennifer Goldman, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, professor of pharmacy practice at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, discussed the key risk factors for hypoglycemia, what its consequences are on patients with diabetes, and what education programs should emphasize so that people with diabetes and their caregivers can improve the management of hypoglycemia.
“We want to make sure that we support the caregivers,” Goldman said. “We want to train patients on how to use ready-to-use glucagon, but also train family members and coworkers so everyone knows where it is and how to use it. We want to address any barriers that may be surrounding that patient, combat any stigma around hypoglycemia, and encourage open dialogue with health care providers. [We need to] make sure patients inform their health care providers if they have had an episode of hypoglycemia so that medications can be adjusted.”
READ MORE: Diabetes Resource Center
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