The diabetes educator's role in teaching the diabetic patient.

Diabetes educators have become a necessary cost-effective addition to the health care team whose efforts are directed toward the improvement of the total care provided to the diabetic patient. The role of the nurse educator in clinical practice and in hospital teams is a new approach to improving the quality of patient education. The nurse educator has specific responsibilities in the evaluation of each diabetic patient. An assessment of not only what that individual knows about his illness and where his educational needs lie but also of each person's readiness to learn. Whereas the physician's contact time with each diabetic patient is limited, the nurse educator has the time to spend with the patient and family. One must listen to what each individual has to say about his diabetes and other problems and to start the teaching-learning process. The nurse educator must be skilled in this teaching-learning process and have a good background and understanding of diabetes, including diabetes complications and problems. Very importantly, the educator must have the capability and the responsibility to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching and learning that are done. This evaluation provides proof that better education of the diabetic patient does provide improvement in patient self-care through a better understanding of his illness. Proper care and management reduce the frequency of office visits, telephone calls, and hospitalization. Finally, the educator must interpret, for eah diabetic patient, the research being done, and, when possible, encourage diabetic patients to become involved themselves, for they are the ones who reap the benefits from diabetes research.