Mater Young Adult Diabetes Clinic Preparing for your visit
About Mater Young Adult Health Centre Brisbane
The Mater Young Adult Health Centre provides exceptional patient centred healthcare to adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 25 years through dedicated inpatient and outpatient services. It delivers the highest standards of clinical care and provides programs for adolescents and young adults to address their emotional, social and educational needs.
Conveniently located in the Mater Salmon Building on Stanley Street, the facility is easily accessible by both bus and rail services, and sits between the Mater Hospital Brisbane and Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital (LCCH).
Young Adult Diabetes Clinic
Mater Young Adult Diabetes Clinic provides specialised diabetes care to adolescents and young adults.
The diabetes team will support you and your family through your developing decision making skills and taking responsibility for your diabetes.
Our team
It can be helpful to know who you will meet at the clinic and the role they will play in your healthcare. Remember, we encourage you to ask questions and provide feedback at any time. If something is important to you then it is important to us.
Pathology
- Checks on your progress by measuring your HbA1c,blood glucose level, height and weight.
- Downloads your pump and meter if you have one.
Tip: We recommend doing your pump download at home, prior to your appointment to save you time.
Endocrinologist/Senior Registrar
- Reviews your general health and diabetes care.
- May offer suggestions on how to achieve your health goals and co-ordinate your diabetes care with your GP and other members of the team.
Diabetes Nurse Educator (DNE)
- Provides you with information and support on the day to day management of your diabetes.
- Assists you with self-management strategies and techniques, keeps you up to date with advances in technology, as well as demonstrates and discusses resources and tools to support your lifestyle.
Dietitian
- Provides you with practical information to help you identify and achieve your nutrition-related goals for the management of your diabetes. This may include advice about healthy eating, weight management, carbohydrate counting and insulin adjustment.
Psychologist
- Helps you cope with your daily experience of diabetes. This may include exploring your personal challenges living with diabetes and developing strategies to cope with these. Your psychologist can also help with stress and anxiety management, depression or relationship conflict.
Annual health review
One of your appointments each year will involve a comprehensive health check-up called your Annual Health Review. At this appointment, as well as discussing your blood glucose levels and diabetes management, you will be examined for any long term health problems.
Poorly controlled diabetes can cause long term health problems particularly affecting your blood vessels and nerves. The most commonly affected areas are your eyes, kidneys, and feet. In the early stages, damage to these areas may cause no symptoms. We can detect early changes with our screening tests. Early detection is important, as treatment can reverse or stabilise the progression of early diabetes complications. It is an important appointment to attend.
How do I prepare for my annual health review?
- Ensure you’ve had your blood and urine test at least one week before your appointment using the pathology form and specimen bottle that has been provided. It’s important the doctor caring for you has the results of these tests before your appointment so that the results can be discussed with you during your consultation.
- Bring sunglasses to your appointment to protect your eyes after your eye test.
- Organise for someone to drive you home from the appointment or work out your public transport plan.
Your Annual Health Review will take place during one of your scheduled Mater Young Adult Diabetes Clinic appointments and will involve the following:
- General physical examination: The doctor or DNE will check your height, weight and blood pressure.
- Nerve exam: The doctor or DNE will conduct a nerve examination which is painless and measures your response to temperature changes and vibrations in the foot.
- Eye test: Your eyes will be checked by testing vision and photographing the retina (back of the eye). The doctor or DNE will place drops in your eyes to dilate your pupils. Your vision may be blurred for hours and it is important that you bring sunglasses to protect your eyes whilst outside. You will not be able to drive immediately after the test. Please ensure you have someone to drive you home or you have worked out a public transport plan.
- Blood and urine test: Please have your blood and urine test at least one week prior to the appointment. These results will help the doctor caring for you to assess your kidney and liver function, thyroid, cholesterol, coeliac serology and routine HbA1c.
How do I find out the results?
The doctor will discuss all test results with you at your appointment. A full report will also be sent to your GP within approximately six weeks of your appointment.
Other services
Driver’s licence application and renewal
Medical clearance for licence application and renewal is completed during your scheduled appointment. The endocrinologist will need to see evidence of blood glucose checking so please remember to bring your meter. They will also complete the necessary paper work, for the Queensland Transport Department, provided the criteria are met. This includes an eye check so please bring your prescription glasses if needed for driving. Please ensure you know when your license is due for renewal.
Insulin Stabilisation Service (ISS)
The team may suggest you contact the ISS in between clinic appointments to support your diabetes management at home. Ideally, uploading / emailing your BGL’s and insulin doses on a Sunday will allow us to get back to you with any suggested changes early in the week.
We are available Monday to Friday, 7.30 am to 3.30 pm to assist with any questions or concerns. Please email youngadult.diabetes@mater.org.au or telephone 07 3163 2500.
Can’t make your appointment?
We understand that life can be busy. If you are not able to keep your appointment please contact us as soon as possible. This means we can reschedule your appointment to a more suitable time and if possible offer the time to someone else. Please telephone 07 3163 2500.
Feedback
If you have any suggestions that may improve our service, we would be very happy to hear from you. You can speak to any member of our team, or alternatively you may wish to contact the patient representative on telephone 07 3163 8303.
Contact and location
Young Adult Diabetes Outpatients Clinic: Level 4
Young Adult Inpatient Ward: Level 7
Salmon Building, Raymond Terrace
South Brisbane Qld 4101
Telephone: 07 3163 2500
http://youngadult.mater.org.au
http://www.mater.org.au/Home/Services/Queensland-Diabetes-Centre
© 2016 Mater Misericordiae Ltd. ACN 096 708 922.
Mater acknowledges consumer consultation in the development of this patient information.
Mater Doc Num: PI-CLN-420061
Last modified 05/7/2017.
Consumers were consulted in the development of this patient information.
Last consumer engagement date: 01/11/2015
For further translated health information, you can visit healthtranslations.vic.gov.au/ supported by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services that offers a range of patient information in multiple languages.