Clinical Management of the Child and Teenager with Diabetes

Written by a Johns Hopkins pediatric endocrinologist and an award-winning medical writer, Clinical Management of the Child and Teenager with Diabetes is a comprehensive and accessible clinical guide to the modern medical management of Type 1 diabetes. Emphasizing the concerns and needs of the child and family, the book is addressed to primary care clinicians, who are increasingly responsible for managing the care of patients with diabetes. With detailed guidelines for establishing a comprehensive patient management plan, this book discusses how to effectively ensure the health and well-being of the child or adolescent with diabetes. The authors cover the basic mechanisms of disease, provide diagnostic and treatment guidelines, describe the spectrum of management options, and offer valuable advice on how to achieve effective communication among parent, child, and members of the health care team. Throughout, the authors stress the importance of helping children with diabetes to live as normally as possible. They address a wide range of management alternatives, including practical issues - snacking at the mall after school (and how to adjust insulin to cover it), what to do about insulin shots during sleepovers, what to tell friends and classmates as well as teachers and other educators, and how to counsel adolescents about the effect of alcohol on blood sugar levels. The text is enhanced by a variety of sample forms and documents: assessment and other record-keeping forms; sample letters to teachers describing activity restrictions and warning signs they should watch for; growth charts; tables of timing and duration of action for different types of insulin; and diabetic ketoacidosis treatment flow sheets.