Decreasing Hyperglycemia and Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Adolescents

This is a translation research project completed as a capstone for the author’s DNP program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the United States. The project was conducted at 4 schools in the Chicopee School District in Western Massachusetts. The schools included one elementary school a middle school and 2 high schools in the region. The evidenced based interventions were developed and applied to the care of students living with T1DM on the insulin pump age 12-18 years. They were followed for six months and the results revealed improved HA1c within that period. The interventions included combining carbohydrate counting physical exercises focus groups that meet once a week and addressing concerns with missed insulin boluses and insulin pump malfunctions. Further research is needed to find out if the intervention would improve HA1C beyond SIX months. There is a need to explore if the same results would be observed in older populations living with T1DM on the insulin pump.