Diabetic Clinic
Diabetic Care
Diabetic & Dietary Education
Diabetic Medication & Testing
Podiary Care
The EMC Diabetic Clinic offers a wide range of services to assist patients with diabetes!
Our Diabetic Clinic has two Diabetic Educators, a Podiatrist and a Dietician. Our clinic was started in 2012 and is registered with the Centre of Diabetes and Endocrinology (CDE).
These dedicated professionals are passionate about supporting patients that live with Diabetes. Helping them understand their condition through education, enables patients to manage the condition and the daily challenges that they are faced with.
Through genuine care and medical expertise, they are committed to achieving the best health outcomes for their patients.
The Diabetic Clinic offers the following services:
- The Diabetic Clinic offers year-round consultations for Type 1 and 2 Diabetes.
- We have two Diabetic Educators that are dedicated to treating their patients and making sure the patients are satisfied with their treatment.
- We are contracted to different medical aids and their Diabetic Programs.
- The Diabetic Sisters renew the patient’s scripts twice a year for Dr Doorewaard.
- For medical aid patients, the fund requires that they see a Diabetic Sister twice a year and with Dr Doorewaard twice a year as well.
- Diabetic patients also need to see a Podiatrist, a Dietician and an Ophthalmologist annually, as their medical aid permits.
- For private patients, we ask that they also follow up with the Diabetic Sister on a bi-annual basis so that she can follow up with them as well as renew their prescriptions.
- The Diabetic Clinic arranges ‘Diabetic Days’ once a week on a Thursday where patients can see Dr Doorewaard, the Dietician, and the Podiatrist all on the same day without having to come back multiple times.
EMC Diabetic Clinic Facilities
Dietician
Our Dietician gives integrated dietary advice looking at the individual and gives advice on diabetes, weight loss, cholesterol, kidney health and all other diet related advice.
Podiatrist
Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting many parts of the body including the feet. Successful management requires a team approach. Including a Podiatrist in your diabetic care is imperative for early recognition of complications, intervention and treatment.
Pharmacy
We have our own pharmacy and are licensed to dispense pharmaceuticals for chronic and acute conditions / illnesses as well as medications for our patients with diabetes.
Diabetes Treatment Interventions
It is imperative that the Diabetic Clinic healthcare team establishes cooperation with the Diabetic Patient and that the following interventions are implemented:
- Education about home glucose monitoring. Discuss glucose monitoring at home with the patient according to individual parameters to identify and manage glucose variations.
- Review factors in glucose instability. Review patient’s common situations that contribute to glucose instability because there are multiple factors that can play a role at any time like missing meals, infection, or other illnesses.
- Encourage the patient to read labels. The patient needs to be educated on how to select foods described as having a low glycemic index, higher fiber, and low-fat content.
- Discuss how the patient’s antidiabetic medications work. Educate the patient on the functions of his or her medications because there are combinations of drugs that work in different ways with different blood glucose controls and also have varying side effects.
- Check the viability of insulin use. Emphasise the importance of checking expiration dates of medications, inspecting insulin for cloudiness if it is normally clear, and monitoring proper storage and preparation because these affect insulin absorbability.
- Review the type of insulin used. Keep a record of the type of insulin to be administered together with the method of delivery and time of administration. This affects timing of effects and provides clues to potential timing of glucose instability.
- Check injection sites periodically. Insulin absorption can vary day to day in healthy sites and is less absorbable in lipohypertrophic tissue.
Note: Lipohypertrophy is a lump of fatty tissue under your skin caused by repeated injections in the same place. It’s common in people with diabetes. Lipohypertrophy can affect your body’s ability to absorb insulin and cause serious complications. It’s important to rotate injection or pump sites, inspect the skin and use a new needle for each injection.
Diabetic Patient Evaluation
Diabetic Healthcare Practitioners are required to evaluate that the regimen and interventions that have been prescribed are effective. This evaluation is done by:
- Evaluating the patient’s knowledge on factors that lead to an unstable blood glucose level.
- Evaluating the patient’s level of blood glucose.
- Discussing the achievements of the modifying factors that can prevent or minimise shifts in glucose levels.
- Assess and achieve timely wound healing.
- Identify interventions that can be implemented to prevent or reduce risk for infection.
- Evaluate maintenance of the usual level of cognition.
A motto our clinic follows:
“The more the person with diabetes understands their diabetes, the better their chances of effective self-care and health. In addition, healthcare providers, and especially doctors in the community, are better able to assist people with diabetes when they have an advanced understanding of diabetes and an understanding of the best-practice principles of the management of diabetes. ‘Diabetes education’ is thus an extremely important component of any successful diabetes management strategy.”
~ These words are from the CDE. ~
A motto our clinic follows:
“The more the person with diabetes understands their diabetes, the better their chances of effective self-care and health. In addition, healthcare providers, and especially doctors in the community, are better able to assist people with diabetes when they have an advanced understanding of diabetes and an understanding of the best-practice principles of the management of diabetes. ‘Diabetes education’ is thus an extremely important component of any successful diabetes management strategy.”
~ These words are from the CDE. ~
A motto our clinic follows:
“The more the person with diabetes understands their diabetes, the better their chances of effective self-care and health. In addition, healthcare providers, and especially doctors in the community, are better able to assist people with diabetes when they have an advanced understanding of diabetes and an understanding of the best-practice principles of the management of diabetes. ‘Diabetes education’ is thus an extremely important component of any successful diabetes management strategy.”
~ These words are from the CDE. ~
