Self-care difficulties of adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Resumo Resumen R E S E A R C H P A P E R ( O R I G I N A L ) Self-care difficulties of adolescents with type 1 diabetesDificuldades no autocuidado dos adolescentes com diabetes mellitus tipo 1 Dificultades en el autocuidado de adolescentes con diabetes mellitus tipo 1Marília Costa Flora*; Manuel Gonçalves Henriques Gameiro** Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease that is increasingly prevalent in adolescence. Intervention in selfcare is essential for disease management. Objectives: To identify the self-care difficulties of adolescents with T1D. Analyze the association between the self-care difficulties of adolescents with T1D and age and gender. Methodology: Descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study. The sample was composed of 51 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years being followed-up in district hospitals of the center region of Portugal. We developed a questionnaire on the adolescents' difficulties based on a model of self-care roles, consisting of 18 items distributed by 4 dimensions: Health maintenance; Disease management; Diagnosis, treatment and Medication in T1D; and participation in health services.Results: Most adolescents (96.1%) found it easy to manage self-care, 29.4% of them found it difficult to adjust insulin to blood glucose levels, and 17.6% of them found it difficult to recognize the importance of glycated hemoglobin. Conclusion: Adolescents showed significant levels of difficulty in insulin adjustment and interpretation of glycated hemoglobin.

Autoaplicação de insulina em adultos com diabetes mellitus no contexto domiciliar

“…O manejo farmacológico inclui comportamentos que integram os cuidados no serviço de saúde e domiciliares. 23 Assim, os conteúdos abordados foram escolhidos por constituírem conhecimentos necessários para o manejo farmacológico do DM no domicílio. Além disso, a insulina é considerada um medicamento potencialmente perigoso e, quando não transportada, armazenada e administrada corretamente, pode inviabilizar o controle glicêmico, com risco de danos consideráveis à vida do paciente.…”