Power to Prevent - National Diabetes Education Program - National ...

It is recommended that people with diabetes have a medical check-up every 3 to 6 months. Every
person with diabetes needs certain laboratory tests and special exams at least once a year (such as the
dilated eye exam and a complete foot exam). Other tests and exams should be done more often (an
example is the A1C blood test, which should be done at least twice a year). Some tests and exams
should be done during every doctor visit (examples are a blood pressure check and a foot check-up).”
Each person with diabetes should ask his or her doctor the following questions at every visit:
What are my A C, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol levels? These are the “ABCs” of diabetes.
Ask your health care provider: What should my ABC levels be?
What is my weight, and should I lose or maintain my weight?
How do my feet look? Are there any cuts, blisters, or red spots from pressure from shoes?
Hand out the brochure 4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes for Life (one for each participant, and
some for participants to take home to share with family members).
Ask participants to check the 4 Steps brochure for the goal levels for the ABCs for people with
diabetes. Ask them to read out the goal levels, and write the answers on a fipchart:
The goal for A C level is below 7.0.
The goal for blood pressure is less than 30/80 ( 30 over 80).
The goal for cholesterol is an LDL (“bad” cholesterol) count of less than 00 for people without
known heart disease and less than 70 for people with diabetes and heart disease.
Review the other types of tests and exams for people with diabetes described in the 4 Steps
brochure:
At each visit, get a blood pressure check, a weight check, and a foot check-up.
Twice a year, get an A C test and a dental exam.
Once a year, get a complete dilated eye exam (for most people with diabetes), a complete foot
exam, a cholesterol test, urine and blood tests for kidney disease, and a fu shot.
At least once in your life, get a pneumonia immunization (Pneumovax).
Say: “Now I would like to ask for two volunteers to role play a visit to the doctor’s offce.”
In the frst role play, ask the person playing the doctor to use the 4 Steps brochure, if needed, to
answer the questions. Have the person playing a patient with diabetes ask the “doctor” questions
about the ABCs and what his or her goal levels should be. Then switch roles. In the second role
play, have the “patient” ask the “doctor” about other types of tests that he or she needs and how
often.
TIP: If questions arise about individual medical problems or experiences (for example,
what a person with diabetes should do if he or she is not at these ABC goal levels), explain
to the group that this class cannot deal with individual medical concerns. Urge participants
to raise their questions with their health care providers.
If you have invited a guest instructor, consider involving him or her in the role play.
NDEP Power to Prevent Session 0 4