Analyzing Self Help Group Observation Term Paper

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Self-Help Group Observation

The purpose of the group (diabetic group) is basically to educate patients on how to sustain a healthy lifestyle in case they are diabetic. The main aim for patient education is for individuals suffering from diabetes to enhance their knowledge, confidence and skills, allowing them to have increased control of their condition and incorporate effectual self-management into their day-to-day lives. High quality structured education could have an intense impact on health outcomes and considerably enhance the quality of life (Tidy, 2014). Some of the potential benefits that patient education could have on individuals suffering from diabetes are:

Enhancing health, knowledge, beliefs, and lifestyle changes

Enhancing patient outcomes, for instance, smoking, weight, and psychosocial changes like depression levels and quality of life

Enhancing physical activity levels

Minimizing the need for, and potentially better targeting of drugs together with other items like blood testing strips.

Educational events, like community expos, offer individuals with diabetes or prediabetes information and experiential learning opportunities on matters, which emphasize the significance of self-management, and healthy lifestyle decisions. According to latest evidence, diabetes education has a general beneficial effect on both psychosocial and health outcomes. Particularly, enhanced patient behavior and knowledge has shown to improve glycemic control in different situations (Tidy, 2014)

Groups provide an opportunity for diabetic individuals to gather and learn together. Participants of the group as well as the educators have a chance to utilize creative approaches to learning. Presently, group education is receiving a lot of attention from policy-makers, educators, and payors. Various educators prefer groups where possible and actually suggest using them as a first-line approach to enhance diabetic outcomes. Group education is a cheap alternative to individual education. Reimbursement restraints and financial intermediaries are significant factors affecting the format of diabetes education in practice today (Mensing & Norris, 2003).

Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is known as a crucial element of diabetes care. The aim of DSME is to assist diabetic patients get the information, knowledge, self-care practices, coping skills, and mind-sets needed for the effectual self-management of their diabetes. In accordance to numerous meta-analyses and reviews, DSME interventions have a positive influence on diabetes-associated psychosocial and health outcomes, particularly increasing diabetes-associated knowledge and enhancing monitoring of blood glucose, exercise and dietary habits, taking of drugs, glycemic control, foot care, and coping. In relation to Mensing and Norris (2003), a group is defined as an assembly or gathering of individuals having a shared interest. In comparison with individual-based approaches, group-based approaches normally invite more interaction and interpersonal dynamics. In addition, group testing could promote various educational activities, like problem-based learning or social modeling better than the individual setting (Tang, Funnell & Anderson, 2006).

Most studies have reported that successful outcomes in group programs have not actually included a comprehensive account of the theoretical approach or the intervention itself, including the particular tactics used. The primary empowerment-based principles offered the conceptual basis for all the three programs described above. These particular guiding principles required the programs to be patient centered (majorly focused on issues and questions introduced by patients), problem based (utilized actual problems faced by participants to guide the learning or teaching process), culturally significant, evidence based, and includes the psychosocial and clinical aspects of living with diabetes. Apart from experiencing different challenges in the course of their lives, patients have varying needs, priorities, as well as diabetes self-management experience, and also come from varying cultural and social environments. Most DSME programs, however, are curriculum centered, and the lesson plans are founded on a predetermined set of topics and a particular learning/teaching sequence. On the other hand, the above prescribed interventions are founded on encounters, needs, conditions, and priorities of patients. This patient focused approach makes learning more meaningful, culturally and personally significant, and directly relevant to patients at that particular moment in their lives (Tang, Funnell & Anderson, 2006).

This particular approach to learning assists patients get the knowledge and skills needed to solve issues, which are important to them. The learning starts with patient-identified issues and concentrates on assisting patients gain the knowledge and skills required to deal with those issues. Applying a patient-centered, problem based approach is through definition culturally significant since the education concentrates on issues as prioritized and perceived by patients in the program. For instance, focus group research has illustrated that there is a strong cultural norm in the Latino and African-American communities putting family needs before self-care. This needs to be dealt with in education programs. Additional cultural tailoring takes place by providing the programs in community locations that participants are familiar with. Education researchers have ascertained that behaviorally oriented group patient education is effectual in the production of a series of positive changes in skills, knowledge, metabolic indexes, and self-management behaviors.

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Empowerment-based diabetes group education stresses strategies, which are patient focused, problem based, culturally significant, evidence based, and integrative. These strategies and programs could be carried out across various educational and clinical settings with the aim of responding to the unique diabetes-associated requirements of all patients (Tang, Funnell & Anderson, 2006).

In spite of the setting, conveying the data as well as the supporting skills, which are needed to promote effective self-management and coping needed for daily living with diabetes call for a thorough and personalized approach. Effectual delivery entails professionals in clinical, educational, behavioral, and psychosocial diabetes care. Effective and clear collaboration amidst the health care team that entails an educator, provider, and an individual suffering from diabetes are vital in making sure that goals are clear, that progress towards the goals is being realized, and that suitable interventions are being utilized. A patient-centered approach to DSME/S at diagnosis offers the basis for current and prospective future requirements. Ongoing DSME/S could assist the individual overcome obstacles and cope with the constant demands so as to facilitate changes in the course of treatment as well as life changes (Powers et al., 2015).

The diabetes education algorithm offers an evidence-based visual depiction of when to identify and refer diabetic patients to DSME. The algorithm describes four important time points for delivery and vital information on the self-management skills, which are needed at all these vital moments. The diabetes education algorithm can be utilized by health care systems, personnel, or teams, and also diabetic individuals, to direct when and how to refer to and receive or deliver diabetes education. The algorithm depends on five guiding principles and represents the manner through which DSME need to be offered via patient engagement, behavioral and psychosocial support, sharing of information, coordinated care, and incorporation with other principles. Related with every principle are main elements, which provide particular suggestions about interactions with the diabetic individual and topics to address at diabetes-associated educational and clinical experiences (Powers et al., 2015).

Assisting individuals to learn and implement skills, knowledge, and behavioral problem-solving and coping strategies needs a delicate balance of several factors. There exists interplay between the patient and the milieu in which he/she lives, for instance, clinical status, values, culture, family, and social and community environment. The behaviors entailed in DSME/S are multidimensional and dynamic. In patient-focused approach, effectual communication as well as collaboration is regarded as route to patient engagement. This particular approach entails drawing out emotions, knowledge, and perceptions via active and reflective listening; exploring the need to change or learn; encouraging self-efficacy; and asking open-ended questions. Via this approach, patients are better capable of exploring options, choosing their own course of action, and feeling empowered to make informed self-management choices (Powers et al., 2015).

The team approach to diabetes care effectually assisted individuals cope with the enormous range of complications, which could arise from diabetes. Individuals with diabetes could lower their risk for microvascular complications, like kidney and eye disease; macrovascular disease, like stroke and heart disease; as well as other diabetes complications, like nerve damage, through:

Sticking to an individualized meal plan

Evading the use of tobacco

Managing their ABCs (AIC, blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking cessation)

Effectively coping with the demands of a complex chronic disease

Taking part in regular physical activity

Taking prescribed drugs

Patients that increase their use of effective behavioral interventions to minimize the risk of diabetes could delay or stop development to kidney failure, nerve damage, loss of vision, cardiovascular disease, and lower extremity amputation. This could in turn result to patient satisfaction with care, enhanced health outcomes, reduced health care expenses, and improved quality of life (Team Care Approach for Diabetes Management, n.d).

Criteria for Membership

The members have to be diagnosed with diabetes. The meeting recognizes four critical instances for offering education and support. There existed four vital instances for evaluating, offering, and adjusting the meeting goals: 1) people with a new diabetes diagnosis, 2) yearly for health maintenance and avoidance of complications, 3) when new complicating aspects impact self-management, and 4) when changes in care happen. Even though four separate time-associated opportunities are important, the meeting considerably acknowledged that diabetes is a chronic condition and situations could emerge at any time, which needs additional attention to….....

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