The Patient and Family Education Unit at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) saw as many as 2,618 diabetes patients from January until September this year.
The patients were counselled on the facts about diabetes, including signs of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia and their management, diabetic ketoacidosis and chronic complications.
They also got tips on how to manage diabetes during special situations such as fasting, Haj or travelling, achieving and maintaining one’s optimal body weight, good nutrition and physical exercise.
This was disclosed by Somaya Al Haidose, Director of the Patient and Family Education Unit on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day to be observed on November 14. The unit provides counselling on at least 14 specialty care practices.
Al Haidose stressed the importance of a reliable patient education component in any healthcare system, highlighting the role of trained educators in helping diabetes sufferers to better understand their condition, and facilitating a more accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
“When you add reliable patient education into the patient-provider relationship, it forms a bond of trust that enables patients to better understand and communicate more effectively about their condition and symptoms,” said Al Haidose.
“The number of people with diabetes in Qatar is increasing due to factors such as population growth, ageing, sedentary lifestyles, and the increasing prevalence of obesity brought about by lack of physical activity and poor dietary habits.
More and more patients are having heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease because they were diagnosed with the underlying condition at a late stage,” she added.
“The most important thing is to understand how a change in diet and lifestyle can help manage the disease and prevent the possibility of complications. Heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney failure are some of the complications that can be avoided through an effective management care plan,” she said.
The Peninsula