Living with Diabetes

The IHP is developed as a result of a cooperative effort between the family, health care providers and school personnel. The IHP should be based on an individualized, prescribed plan from the student's personal health care team, sometimes called a Diabetes Medical Management Plan or DMMP.  Many schools have their own IHP forms that are completed by the nurse. 

The IHP should address how diabetes medical management for an individual child will be implemented in the school, including details about the who, what, when, where, and how of blood-glucose testing, insulin dosing, monitoring food intake and physical activity.  It should also list the student's typical symptoms and prescribed treatment for both hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose).

Some schools create and distribute a brief form of the IHP to all staff that primarily focuses on recognition and treatment of highs and lows. An example of this is the Sample Emergency Care Plan for Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia, as developed as a part of the NDEP Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel.