Alternative Drug Therapies
Insulin injections are a conventional drug option for people suffering from type 1 diabetes, usually serving as the basis for treatment. However, recent studies note that insulin therapy is associated with extreme weight gain as well as hypoglycemia (Lingow et al., 2019). An alternative to insulin is pramlintide, which has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to Lingow et al. (2019), this therapy “delays gastric emptying, blunts pancreatic secretion of glucagon, and enhances satiety” (p. 164). Other options include metformin, thiazolidinediones, sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT) inhibitors, as well as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (Lingow et al., 2019). It is important to note that these insulin alternatives have not yet been approved by the FDA.
Patient Education Strategies
In regards to patient education strategies, the goal of physicians is to ensure individuals suffering from the disease attain the necessary knowledge and attitudes to help them manage diabetes themselves, at least partially. Firstly, medics have to adopt a patient-centered model of educational interventions and communication. Then, they have to assess the existing levels of literacy and numeracy a patient has (American Diabetes Association, 2016). Apart from that, educational programs have to be designed considering specific problems a patient might face and cultural nuances they might be particularly vulnerable to. Tailoring educational initiatives to a person’s unique ethnic and cultural background is the basis of cultural competence in patient education. Both individualized and group education must be continuous and supported throughout a lifetime (Smith & Harris, 2018). These strategies ensure that patients receive a solution adapted specifically for them to confirm that they understand what factors might affect their health condition and lead to chronic complications.
References
American Diabetes Association (2016). Strategies for improving care. Diabetes Care, 39(Supplement 1): S6-S12.
Lingow, S. E., Burke, S. D., Brooks, A. D., & Rafferty, P. S. (2019). Role of noninsulin therapies in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Spectrum, 32(2), 164-170.
Smith, A., & Harris, C. (2018). Type 1 diabetes: Management strategies. American Family Physician, 98(3), 154-162. Web.