Nursing Services
The following nursing services are available at Southwest Family Physicians:
Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes Education and Counseling
If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, or if you have been told that you are pre-diabetic, you may have many concerns and questions about what this means and what you should do. Our nurse will meet with you to help you understand how diabetes affects the body, and steps you can take to manage your diabetes.
Because dietary choices impact your blood sugar levels, she will review your current dietary patterns and help you identify areas that can be adjusted to lower blood sugar levels. You will receive written materials as well as helpful information on how to manage your diabetes.
She will discuss the goals of blood sugar management and demonstrate how to monitor your blood sugars at home using a glucose monitor.
If the physician has prescribed medication, she will discuss how it works to lower your blood sugar.
Weight Loss Counseling
Did you know that losing 5-10% of your total body weight can help reduce your health risks?
When you meet with our nurse, you’ll discuss various strategies to help you modify your dietary patterns to reach your individualized goals. In addition, she can provide follow-up monitoring and counseling to support you in your efforts.
Nutrition Counseling
There are many different health conditions that can be affected by the foods that we eat. If you are looking for more information on how your diet and exercise can affect your health and potentially reduce health risk factors (high cholesterol, kidney disease, fatty liver disease) our nurse will meet with you to discuss lifestyle changes.
Anticoagulation Therapy Monitoring
Warfarin (Coumadin) is a medication that “thins” your blood to decrease your body’s chance of forming harmful blood clots. Unwanted blood clots may cause strokes, heart attack, or other potentially harmful clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis / DVT), or lungs (pulmonary embolus / PE). Warfarin works by blocking the effects of vitamin K , making it harder for your body to form clots.
In order to make sure that the amount of warfarin you are taking is right for you, your blood will need to be checked on a regular basis with a test called prothrombin time or internationalized ratio (PT/INR) measuring how long it takes for your blood to clot. If your PT/INR blood test is out of your prescribed target range, your warfarin dose will need to be adjusted. The nurse will check your blood for this, discuss the effects of diet and medications on your level and adjust your dose to maintain a therapeutic level, helping to prevent unwanted blood clots.
Osteoporosis Treatment
If your physician has diagnosed you with osteoporosis, and determined that the best treatment for you is an injectable medication such as Prolia, Evenity or Boniva, our nurse will meet with you on a regularly scheduled basis to discuss the effects of osteoporosis and administer the prescribed medication.
Travel Immunizations and Guidance
Traveling abroad? Travelling abroad while exciting, can bring with it much uncertainty nowadays. Certain risks can be avoided with the right tools and prevention. Our nurse will review and discuss your travel plans and itinerary, review your immunization and medical history, research the CDC recommendations and any restrictions for the area to which you are travelling. She will meet with you to discuss, travel precautions, Covid 19 travel requirements and provide required and recommended immunizations.
Memory Loss Evaluation
Patients or family members who are concerned about possible memory problems can meet with our nurse to discuss their observations and the problems they are experiencing. She will administer a memory screening quiz and document observations during the screening to be reviewed by your doctor.