The Diabetes Service at Perth Children’s Hospital cares for approximately 1000 children with diabetes. Because of this, the clinic is always busy and its ability to be flexible with appointments is limited.
We asked Perth Children's Hospital acting clinical nurse consultant/diabetes educator Liz Broad for her top tips to get the most out of your next clinic visit:
PRIOR TO YOUR VISIT
- Read any emails about clinic appointments thoroughly, including attachments. They often provide valuable information about the requirements of the clinic.
- Plan to arrive at your appointment 15 minutes early, especially for pump or CGM training.
- Fill in any forms with your information so that we can complete them outside of clinic time and return to you.
- Make a list of any questions you may have so that the appointment is guided by you and suits your needs.
- Have a record of your blood glucose levels (BGL) on hand or ensure you upload your pump and/or CGM device for review (if you are having trouble uploading your device, contact the pump or CGM companies for assistance).
- Download required apps if applicable. CGM training usually requires downloading specific apps and having data available. If this is not in place prior to the training, we will not be able to facilitate your training on the day and will reschedule.
PARKING
- Parking at Perth Children’s Hospital is more plentiful but expensive. Please make sure you bring money for parking as we are unable to provide any support for this.
ON ARRIVAL
- Please bring your Medicare card and appointment letter to assist with the booking-in process at reception at arrival.
PRESCRIPTIONS AND FORMS
- Make sure you ask for insulin and/or glucagon scripts as this will not be done out of clinic and you will have to visit your GP if required.
- Medical assessments for Fitness to Drive are only completed in clinic so please bring this with you if you know it requires completion.
- Ensure you bring any Special Provisions forms that need completion for school exams. These need to be submmitted by April 5 (newly diagnosed exempted)so allow yourself plenty of time if they need our input.
SCHOOL CAMPS AND TRAVEL
- Bring along any school or camp plans if you feel as though you need assistance.
- Tell the team if you have any travel plans within the next three months so that we can provide you with a travel letter and help you with any diabetes management strategies.
OTHER
- If you are on a pump, make sure you have a plan in place in case your pump fails. Pump failure guidelines are available at the clinic. Please keep it up-to-date when settings change.
- If you are involved in a group session and you are running late, it will commence without you, which may result in the need to reschedule your appointment.