Improving Hypertension _ Diabetes Control and Prevention
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shot talk: Immunization Recommendations for Your Patients Living with Diabetes

Thinkstock vaccine vials Diabetes, even if well managed, can make it harder for your patient's immune system to fight infections. As a result, they may be at risk for more serious complications from an illness compared to people without diabetes. One way to reduce these potential conditions is to ensure patients are up-to-date on their immunizations, including:
  • Influenza: Some illnesses, like influenza, can raise blood glucose to dangerously high levels; however, sometimes people don't feel like eating when they are sick, and this can cause blood sugar levels to fall. It's important to follow the sick day guidelines for people with diabetes.
  • Hepatitis B: People living with diabetes have higher rates of hepatitis B than the rest of the population. Outbreaks of hepatitis B associated with blood glucose monitoring procedures have happened among people with diabetes.
  • Pneumococcal Pneumonia: People with diabetes are at increased risk for death from pneumonia (lung infection), bacteremia (blood infection) and meningitis (infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord).
Immunization provides the best protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. For more information, including the Adult Vaccine Quiz, patient fact sheets and resources, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Diabetes Type 1 and Type 2 and Adult Vaccination web page.
Our Words Matter: Tips for Reducing Diabetes Stigma 

doc with patient The last two editions of the Improving Hypertension & Diabetes Control and Prevention e-newsletters have focused on how we talk to people living with diabetes and the important role our communication plays in engagement, conceptualization of diabetes and its management, treatment outcomes, and the psychosocial well-being of the individual. Today's edition will explore:

Recommendation #3: Use language that is strengths-based, respectful, inclusive, and imparts hope.

Language that is negative or judgmental can contribute to diabetes distress. Diabetes distress is defined as all of the worries, concerns, and fears that are associated with a demanding and complex disease such as diabetes and the threat of possible complications.  Diabetes distress is common  and independently associated with elevated A1C in diabetes.
 
Health care professionals are encouraged to:
  1. Seek skills in "attentive and empathic listening, sensitive verbal inquiry, and use of thoughtful and reflective comments-skills that are the hallmarks of good clinical care."Fear of hypoglycemia and fear of not meeting blood glucose targets are common for people living with diabetesand can contribute to undue stress. Fear of hypoglycemia can lead to keeping blood glucose levels elevated for long periods of time.
  2. Use language that instills confidence and encourages people to use their strengths to overcome these fears and manage successfully.
The complete journal article from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), including recommendations and documented references, can be located here .
united we stand: help your patients connect with DIABETES & CARDIAC SUPPORT IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA 

As President Ronald Reagan once said, "We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." People coping with diabetes and/or cardiac disease can sometimes feel overwhelmed with their diagnosis and the changes it brings to their lives. Having the opportunity to share their feelings and experiences with others who are going through the same thing can often be uplifting, motivating, and even educational.

Various Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPP), Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) and other diabetes and hypertension support meetings are available across Pennsylvania that are really making a difference in the lives of people dealing with these chronic diseases. The groups not only provide a support system for participants, but they also empower people to help others. 

If you have a local group you would like to have featured in this e-newsletter, please email your information to Quality Insights Practice Transformation Specialist Amy Porter . 

A few current groups available in the south central Pennsylvania area include:

Diabetes Support Groups:
  • Meyersdale Medical Center: Meets the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Meyersdale Medical Center dining room. Call Nancy Horning at 814.634.5076 for more information.
  • Somerset Hospital: Meet the 1st Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Somerset Hospital cafeteria, 225 S. Center Avenue, Somerset. Contact Lisa Dunmeyer at 814.443.5069 for more information.
Cardiac Support Groups:
  • Meyersdale Medical Center: Meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Meyersdale Medical Center conference room. Call Robert Yednock at 814.634.9797 for more information.
  • Windber Medical Center: Meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 11 a.m. at Windber Medical Center in the Serenity Room of the Ornish Center on the Fourth Floor of the Medical Arts Building (one floor below HealthStyles). The group is for individuals dealing with heart disease and/or significant risk factors. Sessions are FREE. Email Dr. James Vizza or call 814.467.3613 for more information.
mark your calendars: here's your chance to learn something new

e-learning WEBINAR:  Updates on Flu, Pneumonia and Shingles Immunizations for the 2018-2019 Season
Tuesday, August 28, 2018 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
How bad was last flu season and what can we expect this year? Join Chris Campanile, MD, for a review of the 2017-2018 flu season, pneumococcal immunizations, and the new ACIP recommendations related to the shingles vaccine.

WEBINAR:  Patient Engagement in a Digital Health World
Friday, August 31, 2018 - 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Patient engagement is a critical component to the success of digital health solutions because these solutions are designed to facilitate behavioral changes, and behavior change requires a high degree of engagement. Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute will be welcoming back Amy Bucher, PhD, to share her behavior change expertise specific to digital health interventions. Dr. Bucher will discuss patient engagement principles and provide examples of current technology that is designed to change behavior and enable self-care.

WEBINAR: Identifying and Addressing Social Determinants of Health in a Primary Care Setting
Wednesday, August 29, 2018 - 12:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Quality Insights and HealthCare Dynamics International (HCDI) for this webinar to increase the awareness of the social determinants of health in a primary care setting. Guest speaker Judith Singletary, PhD will discuss how identifying and addressing social determinants of health in communities contributes to improving health and health care for underserved individuals, communities and populations.
 
After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:
  • Define the Social Determinants of Health;
  • Differentiate the terms: health equity, health disparity, and social determinants of health;
  • Identify concerns/challenges of social determinants of health; and
  • Discuss the collection of data/measures in the primary medical care setting
get out & about: is there a hypertension or diabetes event taking place near you? 

event icon Do you know about a local diabetes prevention or hypertension event taking place near you, and are you and/or your staff participating in it? Please email details to aporter@qualityinsights.org if you'd like to have it featured in our upcoming e-newsletters.

Below are just a few of the events Quality Insights has learned about that are coming up this Fall. Please pass this info on to your patients if any of these events are in your area.
contact information

For more details about the Improving Hypertension and Diabetes Care & Prevention project, please contact Rhonda Dodson.
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Funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the State Public Health Actions to Prevent and Control 
Diabetes,  Heart Disease, Obesity and Associated Risk Factors and Promote School Health federal grant from the Centers for 
Disease Control  and Prevention. Publication number: PADOH-HD-082418