Given the readings from this week, how would you approach working with a patient that has prediabetes? What types of interventions would you implement? How would you partner with them in creating their goals? What types of obstacles might you face? How would you ideally work with the healthcare team?

HERE IS THE RESPOND TO THE MAIN POST BY THR STUDENT

Clara Hoodes
Nov 27, 2020 at 12:16 PM
According to Taylor (2018), diabetes is considered a common chronic illness affecting over 9 % of the U.S. population. Health complications associated with diabetes can be life-threatening and also costly with costs in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (as cited by Taylor, 2018) (CDC) totaling $245 billion annually. Health complications associated with diabetes include blindness, stroke, kidney failure, circulatory complications, and nerve damage. Interestingly, type II or non-insulin dependent (Taylor, 2018, p. 279) is becoming more prevalent affecting adults as well as adolescents and children, also becoming harder to treat as the disease is found to progress at a more rapid pace. Health implications associated with diabetes can include heart disease as waste builds up in the patients blood as a result of the thickening of the artery. Diabetes is also found to have psychosocial effects such as psychological distress and cognitive impairment such as to the patients memory. According to Taylor (2018), psychosocial factors found to be involved in the development of diabetes can include those relating to lifestyle, personality such as low conscientiousness, and depression.

Regarding interventions, management of diabetes can require that patients make lifestyle changes in areas of diet and physical activity. Having the necessary information about glucose utilization/metabolic control is also important in cases where the individual does not have, for example, access to this kind of information. Cognitive-behavioral interventions are found to be effective for improving patients adherence to their regimens including monitoring of blood sugar levels and self-care among type II diabetics (Taylor, 2018).

According to Johnson and Marrero (2016), the biomedical model might not be the most appropriate model or approach for working with patients as it fails to consider, for example, contextual issues that are very much related such as social and economic factors, and also prevention. Where more recent models of care such as ecological models focus on preventative aspects more so than older models.

According to the CDC (as cited by Johnson & Marrero, 2016), prediabetes is an important condition affecting millions of people in the U.S. to consider in relation to prevention and the development of type II diabetes. Research shows that behavioral interventions can be an effective technique for lowering patients risk of developing type II diabetes at the prediabetic stage, however, where some physicians do not have the training necessary for implementation. Johnson and Marrero (2016) explain that the role of the psychologist is important in view of this lack of expertise where psychologists are needed to help provide this kind of expertise among health care teams and also in areas of research, and with communities on the basis of patient-centered integrated care.

References

Johnson, S.B., & Marrero, D. (2016). Innovations in healthcare delivery and policy: Implications for the role of the psychologist in preventing and treating diabetes. American Psychologist, 71(7), 628-637. doi:10.1037/a0040439

Taylor, S. (2018). Health psychology (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

HERE IS TYE MAIN POST

Given the readings from this week, how would you approach working with a patient that has prediabetes? What types of interventions would you implement? How would you partner with them in creating their goals? What types of obstacles might you face? How would you ideally work with the healthcare team?

HERE IS THE STUDENT REDPOND TO THE MAIN POST

Chr
Prediabetes is a condition that more than 86 million Americans have (Johnson & Marrero, 2016), and one that can benefit from a biopsychosocial approach to healthcare (Hunter, 2016). Self-management, dietary intervention, and lifestyle change are important aspects of aiding individuals both diagnosed with prediabetes and aiding the management of type two diabetes (T2D) diagnoses (Taylor, 2018). Programs that aid in managing diabetes use important personal reasons to help motivate individuals in making serious commitments to their lifestyle and keep them open and willing to add home-based and ongoing self-monitoring for the betterment of their health (Venditti, 2016). Evidence supports that behavioral interventions have a ripple effect that aids in the widespread improvement of individuals physical, psychological, social outcomes, as well as their quality of life. Individualized intensive well-designed behavioral lifestyle interventions are the most effective for long-term cost-effective treatment of prediabetes (Hunter, 2016).

When working with a client who is struggling with a prediabetes or T2D diagnosis, the first thing I would want to do is examine the way individuals view their diagnosis and how they feel their psychological wellbeing is interconnected to their diagnoses. Some individuals experience a sense of denial, especially in relation to their psychological symptoms (Johnson & Marrero, 2016). Thus, it would be important to assess the individuals levels of denial and understanding of the psychological effects that prediabetes can have. Psychoeducation would be important through the first phases of treatment then it would be necessary to evaluate the aspects of the individuals lives that may benefit from behavioral adjustments. The next step would include implementing the behavioral adjustments discussed with the client. This would allow the client to make their own choices while also being guided by a professional that can monitor both the psychological and physical wellbeing of the client. Self-monitoring and self-management would be skills needed to be taught to ensure that the client can independently manage their disease and know when they need additional interventions or to speak with a medical professional.

References

Hunter, C. M. (2016). Understanding diabetes and the role of psychology in its prevention and treatment. American Psychologist, 71(7), 515525. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040344

Johnson, S. B. & Marrero, D. (2016). Innovations in healthcare delivery and policy: Implications for the role of the psychologist in preventing and treating diabetes, American Psychologist, 71(7), 628-637. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040439

Taylor, S. (2018). Health psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Venditti, E. M. (2016). Behavior change to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes: Psychology in action, American Psychologist, 71(7), 602-613. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040433

Engaging with Community
Community-engaged research requires one to BE in the community. With COVID 19, that is going to be a challenge. Nevertheless, we can be with the community remotely through engaging in conversation aided by technology-phone callor zoom. If COVID-19is relevant to how community is coping, by all means engage with the realities of this moment. For this assignment, consider how you can engage with a chosen community of your choice for between60 to 90 minutes. Community can be any group of participants you care and are curious about, either in your research or in your life. For example, you may be working on a research project with particular stakeholders in a school or program. You may be an active parent volunteer at your childs school, interacting with other parent volunteers. The goal of this assignment is to learn how to suspend judgement and assumptions and attune ourselves to the stories/voices/concerns of community stakeholders. Engage one or two participants (or however many you wish, perhaps in the form of a focus group discussion)in dialogue about a community issue that is of interest to you. This could very well be related to the wicked problem you are investigating/researching. Record the conversation (ask for permission beforehand) with audio or video (if you use zoom that would be fairly easy). Write a 5 page analytical essay on your experience to be turned in one week after your conversation. Keep to this deadline, as with time, your insights tend to fade, compromising the rigor of your analysis of the conversation. In the 5 page reflection, you should devote at least a page to a page and a half to framing the issue the conversation focused on. In other words, frame the problem-space for the reader before delving into unpacking your conversation. Your conversation should raise questions for you to continue pondering.