The utilization of healthcare simulation to enhance diabetic education has greatly strengthened learners’ understanding of the health conditions and known methods to control/stabilize blood sugar. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 37 million Americans have diabetes (which equates to about 1 in 10 individuals). This is why clinical simulation’s use across diabetic learning has become so pivotal. To help meet this training demand, one of Pocket Nurse‘s most popular product lines, Demo Dose, established a product that was specifically designed to assist with diabetic education and training — the Demo Dose Disposable Insulin Pen Trainer.
This medical simulation product provides learners with a safe, simulated, and effective tool for practicing the correct method of administering medication from a pre-loaded auto-injector system. Together, the product package comes complete with a simulated 300U Insulin Pen, an adjustable dial from 0-60 units with a calibration window for precise dose verification.
The Disposable Insulin Pen Trainer contains no medication or needle, meaning that pen needles are sold separately. Further, the Disposable Insulin Pen Trainer is single-use/cannot be refilled, and contains water.
While diabetes may be increasingly common, fully understanding the condition and the ways in which patients must be cared for is not widely understood. By utilizing this Pocket Nurse product within a curriculum, healthcare simulation educators are simultaneously working to improve patient safety outcomes.
Not only will learners be able to understand the proper way to administer insulin, but they will also learn about different diabetes treatment options (regular insulin (06-93-3003), NPH Insulin (06-93-3004), 70/30 (06-93-2010), Lants (06-93-2015), 75/25 (06-93-2020), Lispr (06-93-2025)).
An example of the importance of partnering with diabetes educators to improve patient outcomes comes in the form of 2014 research by Sandra D Burke, Dawn Sherr, and Ruth D Lipman. In their article, the authors explain that diabetes educators are integral in providing individualized education and promoting behavior change, using a framework of seven self-care behaviors known as the AADE7 Self-Care Behaviors. Developed by the American Association of Diabetes Educators, these behaviors include assessment, goal setting, planning, implementation, evaluation, and documentation.
“Diabetes educators work as part of the patient’s healthcare team to engage with the patient in informed, shared decision-making. The increasing prevalence of diabetes and the growing focus on its prevention requires strategies for providing people with knowledge, skills, and strategies they need and can use,” the authors write. “The diabetes educator is the logical facilitator of change. Access to diabetes education is critically important; incorporating diabetes educators into more and varied practice settings will serve to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes for persons with diabetes.”
Additional Diabetic Simulation Products
- Demo Dose Simulated Insulin Cartridges 3 mL: This product comes with economical 3 mL prefilled cartridges, a designated space for writing insulin type and concentration. There are 25 cartridges included in each Demo Dose Simulated Insulin cartridge box.
- Demo Dose Levemr 100 units/ 10mL: The Therapeutic Class of this product is Antidiabetic with a 10 mL volume, 100 units/mL strength, and can be used to instruct learners about this long-acting form of insulin and its use with other insulin treatments.
- Demo Dose Novolog 100 units/ 10mL: This Pocket Nurse product is used to teach treatment of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in adults and children who are at least 2 years old. Usually given together with another long-acting insulin. The Therapeutic Class of this product is Antidiabetic with a 10 mL volume, 100 units/mL strength.
- Demo Dose Insulin Glargin Lants 100 units/mL 10 mL: The Therapeutic Class of this product is Antidiabetic with a 10 mL volume, 100 units/mL strength.
- Demo Dose Regular Insulin 100 units mL 10mL: This product can be used to teach the proper administration of this hormone, and be used to improve blood sugar control in adults with Type 2 diabetes. The Therapeutic Class of this product is Antidiabetic with a 10 mL volume, 100 units/mL strength.
More About Pocket Nurse
Pocket Nurse is a U.S.-based company that makes and distributes medical supplies and equipment for healthcare simulation and education in medicine, nursing, EMS, pharmacy, and other allied health groups. The company’s products are extensively used in nursing simulation but have applications across the entire range of the medical simulation industry.
Pocket Nurse began business in 1992 with one product, the Pocket Organizer. This organizer was so popular, the solution led the way to the production and sale of over 5600 products which now includes manikins from Laerdal, moulage tools, and headwalls. The company was founded and owned by a nurse, Anthony Battaglia — who still oversees the company to this day.
The company has been consistently willing to create new practice medications and packaging to match changing clinical practice. Medical simulation should mimic real-life situations as much as possible as this adds fidelity to simulation scenarios. Having medications and packages that closely resemble actual medications used in practice provides familiarity for learners which in turn, helps them transition from the classroom to clinical practice.
