Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) Practice Exam

Which medication detail does not need to be documented in the initial diabetes self-management education assessment?

1. Daily multivitamin with iron

2. Cinnamon capsules with each meal

3. Emergency inhaler for asthma not used in 3 years

4. All of the above should be documented

The correct answer is: All of the above should be documented

In the context of an initial diabetes self-management education assessment, documenting the medication details that are relevant to the individual's diabetes management is essential. However, certain medications may not need to be included in the documentation if they do not directly impact diabetes care or management. The daily multivitamin with iron may not be particularly relevant to diabetes management unless there are health conditions specifically tied to iron levels or overall nutrition that affect diabetes. Similarly, cinnamon capsules, which some people may take for their purported effects on glucose control, are often considered non-prescription supplements whose efficacy may not be well supported by research, making them less critical for initial documentation. The emergency inhaler for asthma that hasn’t been used in three years is also not relevant to the current diabetes management plan as it has not been active in the patient's treatment and does not influence blood glucose levels or the management of diabetes. Given this reasoning, it is acceptable for the initial diabetes self-management education assessment to omit documentation of all the mentioned medications since they do not directly contribute to the ongoing diabetes management strategy. Thus, the selection indicating that all of these items should be documented is not necessary in this context.