Introduction
The PDSA cycle has four distinct stages Plan, Do, Study, and Act. It is used to measure and encourage small and gradual changes in a program’s distinct cycles. In the “Plan” stage, areas that need change or improvement are identified. Similarly, the planning phase involves setting clear targets and realistic goals that have to be achieved once the identified changes have been implemented (Crowfoot & Prasad, 2017). Potential obstacles to achieving the established goals are also considered at this stage. Lastly, one needs to determine the order in which the suggested changes should take place.
The PDSA cycle
According to Crowfoot & Prasad (2017), the “Do” stage is for small-scale testing changes needed to substantiate the desired change. The findings of this stage are then used for the “Study” stage where adopted changes are assessed for their effectiveness, and further changes are suggested. (Crowfoot & Prasad, 2017). The new measurements are then reviewed and analyzed against the expected outcomes. Furthermore, the failures from the previous stages are identified and means of improvement are outlined. In essence, the “Study” stage is a reflection stage.
The “Act” stage is where necessary adaptations and improvements are acknowledged and success is celebrated. It allows for refined changes to be made. Where failure was experienced, the “Act” stage gives room for other alternatives to be sought. However, if the implementation was successful, the suggested changes are maintained and are fully embedded in the next cycle
PDSA in Diabetes Prevention
In the healthcare context, the Plan phase identifies the objectives of a program. In a community-based diabetes prevention program, a good example of how PDSA would work would be to adopt a healthy diet as this has proven to be the most effective method (Spritzler & CDE, 2022). A prime example of dietary actions to be taken would be to reduce the overall carb intake as this directly translates to high blood sugar. Similarly, reduction of salt intake while increasing fiber and protein is recommended especially when looking to combat diabetes (Hashemi et al., 2019. Diabetic patients are also encouraged to eat less processed foods while eating more fruits and whole foods. Therefore, the planned change would be to adopt a healthy diet as a means of diabetes prevention.
Small-scale testing will be under the “Do” phase and will involve two aspects which are; educating the population on healthy dietary options, and actively ensuring that a part of the diabetic population undertakes healthy dietary changes are taken. Creating awareness among community members of dietary changes they need to undertake is a crucial step toward preventing diabetes. Effective blood sugar control requires the intake of foods that are rich in vitamins and fiber such as vegetables while reducing salt, animal fat, refined foods, and cholesterol. This dietary knowledge would be passed to the community through public health volunteers who would also conduct periodic meetings and educate the public on adopting a healthy diet. The second step in the “Do” phase would be to isolate a few members of the community who are affected by diabetes voluntarily.
The diabetic sample would be required to record what they consume daily and blood sugar tests conducted every two days. In ensuring that the selected sample sustains healthy eating habits, they would be required to abide by the prescribed dietary measures learned during the community health awareness meetings. The results of this test would be taken after one month. According to the Deming Cycle, the Study stage involves an examination of results. In the process of examining results, reflecting on what went wrong and taking notes of the valuable lessons will inform the next steps. In the case of a communitywide diabetes prevention program, the Study phase would involve looking at any weaknesses in the dietary approach recommended. For instance, data acquired from the “Do” stage will be reviewed to determine whether it is an effective diabetes prevention mechanism
Furthermore, the “Study” phase would be used to compute the effectiveness of dietary approaches along with diabetes prevention. It would be prudent to also determine whether dietary approaches should be used in conjunction with other diabetes prevention methods. Health experts have often recommended that diabetes prevention measures such as dietary approaches, increased exercise, and increased water intake have to work in tandem with each other (Spritzler & CDE, 2022). Therefore, the Study phase will determine to what extent dietary adjustments will alleviate instances of diabetes in a given community.
Conclusion
The PDSA cycle provides an effective process for diabetes prevention programs to be implemented in the community. It facilitates continuous monitoring and evaluation of the project to ensure that the set objectives are met. Healthy dietary intake is one of the prevention measures undertaken against diabetes. Healthy dietary intake is one of the prevention measures undertaken against diabetes. Creating awareness and actively ensuring that the community participates in healthy eating habits provides an effective mechanism for controlling blood sugar levels.
References
Crowfoot, D., & Prasad, V. (2017). Using the plan–do–study–act (PDSA) cycle to make change in general practice. InnovAiT, 10(7), 425-430.
Hashemi, R., Rahimlou, M., Baghdadian, S., & Manafi, M. (2019). Investigating the effect of DASH diet on blood pressure of patients with type 2 diabetes and prehypertension: Randomized clinical trial. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 13(1), 1-4.
Smith, J. J., Shah, S. A., & Cochran, D. S. (2018). Prevention, early detection, and reversal of type-2 diabetes using collective system design. MATEC Web of Conferences, 223, 01018. Web.
Spritzler, F., & CDE. (2022). 13 ways to prevent type 2 diabetes. Healthline. Web.