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lack of knowlege??

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croftmanor

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Hi Guys
Anyone else had the same problem?
I went to get my 3 monthly check with the nurse at my GP's today,
i was quite high back in feb so was monitoring my levels and assesing after the increase in metformin, when she mentioned my "wee" sample showed some glucose
in general chat i was explaining about this forum and how i had learned about the "Dawn Phenom"
she looked at me blankly and declared she hadn't heard of it!!, now this is the person who is supposed to monitor and help with my control, is it common for practice nurses not to have any knowlege of diabetes care, or am i just unlucky?
many thanks for your comments
Andy
 
Re: lack of knowledge??

Hi Andy,many DN's are very experienced but many also only know of the treatment etc rather than the actual mechanics of diabetes itself.
 
Thanks Sue
I cant fault her for her nursing skills, and she will now go and read up on what i have tolde her about,
I just wondered if it was a general experience or a limited one
Andy
 
Going by some of the stories on here it is quite a general one!!It depends on the DN's, some go on extensive courses ,up to university level others are just appointed because they are Practice nurses and learn on the job.It's good though that she is going to read up on it,shows a willingness to learn more.
 
Not surprising really, usually practice nurses aren't specialists in diabetes, next day they'll be running the asthma clinic, weight loss clinic, baby clinic, doing smear tests etc etc. Diabetes is a complex condition and they may only know the basics. Some tend to dismiss as 'impossible' anything you report that doesn't match what they expect - but we're all different and bodies react differently.

Your nurse sounds willing to admit she doesn't know the answers and to learn, which is good. But if you're having difficulty and she seems flummoxed, ask to be referred to a specialist. Or suggest she discusses your issues with a specialist (doctor or specialist diabetes nurse) and get back to you - helping you both learn.
 
in the 5yrs ive been diabetic ive met a good few gps,dns who know nothing at all, scary really :?
 
IME they vary widely as do GPs and even Endos. Most of the nurses I've met here, including nurse practitioners, seem pretty clueful. They are able to discuss or suggest things the GP may have been told not to mention. But then the GPs are more clueful than they are allowed to be by the accountants.

This is not necessarily true elsewhere (at least yours has shown a willingness to learn!) IMO diabetes education is often a very minimal part of their general medical training and is usually focussed on Type 1.
 
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