Diabetes nurse goes above and beyond to understand patient experience

A specialist Diabetes nurse is voluntarily subjecting herself to the same rigorous level of self-monitoring that people with diabetes have to go through so that she can better understand their experience. Mariana Biscoito, who does not have the condition, is carrying out finger-prick testing up to six times a day and ‘carbohydrate-counting’ for one week, as well as wearing a digital glucose monitor on her arm.

Mariana said: “I’m doing this because I want to put myself in the same shoes as people with diabetes and get an idea of what it’s like to live with this long term condition. If you don’t have diabetes it is difficult to know what someone goes through and how their routine is disrupted by the demands of this health condition, so I decided to do this. This has given me some insight into what a person with diabetes goes through and how challenging things can be. I hope that this will help me to comprehend some of our patients’ struggles. I am also using a device which shows me how different foods, drinks and also exercise can affect my blood glucose readings.” The device, called the 'FreeStyle Libre' is a digital glucose monitor which provides a clear picture of the glucose levels of a person with diabetes, recording data throughout both the day and night. The sensor is worn

on the arm, and can be scanned at any time to receive glucose measurements. It is available on prescription to people with diabetes who fit NHS criteria. Diabetes is a metabolic disease which causes high blood sugar. The hormone Insulin moves sugar from the blood into cells to be stored or used for energy. When someone has diabetes, their body either does not make enough insulin or the insulin that it does make cannot be effectively used. The diabetes team at UHNM continue to work towards putting