Introduction
Today, diabetes remains one of the most important issues in healthcare. Millions of patients suffer from the condition, and their number continues to grow. In such a way, there is an enhanced need for specific interventions and methods that might help to address the problem and assist patients in preserving the quality of their lives. Thus, insulin resensitization, or administering insulin as a hormone rather than a drug, is viewed as a possible way to treat patients with diabetes and avoid complications, such as kidney failure or other diseases. For this reason, the proposed scholarly project introduces the following PICOT question:
In diabetic patients, how does the use of insulin as a hormone compared to exercise and diet affect reverse insulin resistance within one year?
- P: diabetic patients;
- I: use of insulin as a hormone;
- C: compared to exercise and diet;
- O: reverse insulin resistance;
- T: one year.
It is possible to assume that using insulin as a hormone helps to reduce insulin resistance and attain better results among diabetic patients.
Topic Overview
The topicality of the selected issue comes from several important factors. First of all, as stated previously, the number of patients with diabetes continues to grow, while morbidity is significant with complications such as neuropathy and nephropathy (Dunn et al., 2015). At the same time, common medications and lifestyle modifications do not completely eliminate the risk of acquiring long-term complications of diabetes, such as chronic kidney disease (Villaverde et al., 2021). The existing approaches cannot restore the periodic cycle of insulin existing within healthy bodies (Villaverde et al., 2021). As a result, the traditional treatment leads to higher risks of undesired outcomes. For this reason, the concept of physiologic insulin resensitization (PIR) is the top priority as one of the ways to help patients (Tucker et al., 2021). The central idea of the method is to reduce insulin resistance by resensitizing receptors with biomimicry (Loveridge, 2021). It will help to avoid long-term complications and support the desired quality of patients; lives.
Importance to Nursing Practice
The selected problem is also critical for the nursing practice because of some improvements in the quality of care and the approaches used to work with diabetic patients. The researchers offer credible evidence that PIR can reverse diabetes-associated complications of neuropathy, ulcers, and nephropathy and preserve the healthy function of kidneys (Greenway et al., 2022). At the same time, for practice, using insulin as a hormone means a new approach to working with patients and treating them in more effective ways that help to consider long-term complications (Loveridge, 2021). For this reason, the chosen problem is critical for the modern healthcare sector and might offer one of the practical solutions to the current complex issue.
Case
The case for the project implies working with a diabetic patient. Ms. S is a 61-year-old woman with a long history of having diabetes II. She has been treated using traditional approaches and followed the recommendations regarding exercise and diet. However, she discovers the first signs of insulin resistance and problems with the kidneys. As part of the possible response to the problem, she is offered PRI to mimic the natural hormone secretion profile and avoid long-term complications.
Conclusion
Altogether, diabetes remains one of the critical problems peculiar to modern healthcare. Unfortunately, the traditional treatment and the changes in lifestyle and diet might also lead to the development of complications. For this reason, using PIR is one of the innovative approaches to addressing the problem and reducing insulin resistance. It is possible to assume that by using this intervention, it is possible to attain better outcomes compared to exercise and diet only. The topic is essential for nursing practice as it might promote a positive shift and new ways of working with diabetic patients.
References
Dunn, K., Hayes, D., Petersen, S., & Schull, W. J. (2015). Insulin infusion therapy on diabetic complications, medications, quality of life, hemoglobin a1c, and metabolic functioning: Retrospective analyses. Schull Institute. Web.
Greenway, F., Loveridge, B., Grimes, R.M., Tucker, T.R., Alexander, M., Hepford, S.A., Fontenot, J., Nobles-James, C., Wilson, C., Starr, A. M. (2022). Physiologic insulin resensitization as a treatment modality for insulin resistance pathophysiology. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(3), 1884. Web.
Loveridge, B., Tucker, T., Laurent, M. S., Hepford, S., Alexander, M., & Lakey, J. R. (2021). Dynamic diabetes solutions: Physiologic insulin resensitization. Medical & Clinical Research, 6(8) pp. 656-660. Web.
Tucker, T., Hadley, J., Alexander, M., Lakey, J. R., & Loveridge, B. (2021). Case series: Reversal of diabetic neuropathy utilizing physiologic insulin resensitization. International Journal of Diabetes Metabolic Disorders 6(2), pp. 160-163. Web.
Villaverde, Z., Tucker, T., Alexander, M., Hepford, S. A., & Lakey, J. R. T. (2021). Improved kidney function following physiologic insulin resensitization treatment modality. Journal of Endocrinology and Disorders, 5(4). Web.