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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Elements define the essential outcomes
2. Identify diabetes care services in the Australian health care environment
   • Provide current accurate information on diabetes care and sources of funding for related services to the person, the family or carer, and to colleagues
   • Identify specialist services and complementary roles of organisations and individuals involved in supporting and delivering diabetes care
   • Liaise with referring agencies and community organisations when providing diabetes care
3. Assess the needs of a person with diabetes
   • Apply knowledge of the pathophysiology of diabetes
   • Perform holistic nursing assessment using a range of contemporary assessment tools, resources and strategies and incorporating review of the person’s history, current situation and treatment regimes
   • Determine the person’s current understanding of their condition, self-management strategies and medications
   • Identify possible factors impacting the person’s health or significant alterations in the person’s condition, based on own current knowledge of diabetes
   • Identify the family or carer’s understanding of and involvement in the person’s diabetes care, and how this might impact the person’s care planning and provision
4. Perform complex nursing interventions to assist a person to achieve and maintain optimal diabetes health
   • Manage nursing workload according to a person’s needs and re-prioritise care activities for the person when circumstances change in consultation with registered nurse
   • Prepare the person’s care plan to ensure it reflects the complex care needs of a person with diabetes
   • Identify responses of the person, family or carer to nursing interventions and their understanding of ongoing management of the person’s condition, including strategies for self-management
   • Administer prescribed emergency medication based on sound knowledge of principles of drug actions and in accordance with organisation policies and procedures
   • Evaluate and interpret the person’s blood and urine test results related to their diabetic condition, and communicate findings to the interdisciplinary health care team
   • Liaise with registered nurses about alterations in the person’s condition while providing ongoing support of the person
5. Evaluate the care plan for a person with diabetes, and support a person’s self-management
   • Critically review the care plan and modify according to the person’s progress toward planned outcomes in consultation and collaboration with interdisciplinary health care team
   • Evaluate nursing interventions provided and consider identified outcomes against evidence-based best practice in diabetes nursing care
   • Identify opportunities where indicated to provide the person, family or carer with information on available community resources and how to access them
   • Evaluate the person’s understanding of their diabetes condition, medications, therapeutic regimes and self-management
   • Promote the person’s self-management of their condition and assist them to provide accurate information to their family or carer on their diabetes care needs
   • Document uptake by the person of specific health promotion initiatives to support their self-management
6. Evaluate the care plan for a person with diabetes, and support a person’s self-management
   • Critically review the care plan and modify according to the person’s progress toward planned outcomes in consultation and collaboration with interdisciplinary health care team
   • Evaluate nursing interventions provided and consider identified outcomes against evidence-based best practice in diabetes nursing care
   • Identify opportunities where indicated to provide the person, family or carer with information on available community resources and how to access them
   • Evaluate the person’s understanding of their diabetes condition, medications, therapeutic regimes and self-management
   • Promote the person’s self-management of their condition and assist them to provide accurate information to their family or carer on their diabetes care needs
   • Document uptake by the person of specific health promotion initiatives to support their self-management

Performance Evidence

The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has:

undertaken nursing work in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia professional practice standards, codes and guidelines

provided nursing care and management of 2 people with diabetes in the workplace including:

a person who has become hypoglycaemic

a person who has become hyperglycaemic

a person who is demonstrating signs of ketoacidosis.

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Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:

anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology related to diabetes and diabetic conditions including:

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes

gestational diabetes mellitus

potential problems related to care of a person with diabetes and the following conditions – with the knowledge sufficiently in-depth and specialised to make considered judgements:

hypoglycaemia

hyperglycaemia

ketoacidosis

hyper osmolar non-ketonic coma

retinopathy

infection

psychosocial issues

microvascular and macrovascular disease

health promotion goals and their expected outcomes including:

exercise

diabetic diet

weight loss (body mass index or waist to hip ratio)

smoking cessation

foot and eye care

factors influencing self esteem of the person with diabetes

issues related to diabetes care delivery and diabetes-related services

underlying environmental and social factors contributing to diabetes in the Australian general population, including the factors involved with higher rates experienced by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

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