Diabetes self-management education is a multi-faceted process involving much more than helping people with diabetes monitor their blood glucose, or take their medication as prescribed. Diabetes education must be an ongoing process rather than a one-time event because a person's health status and need for support changes over time.
Although the medical dimensions of diabetes care such as eye exams and blood glucose monitoring have improved in recent years, outcomes for many people with diabetes remain poor1Harris MI. Health care and health status and outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2000;23:754-758. 2Saaddine JB, Engelgau MM, Beckles GL, Gregg EW, Thompson TJ, Narayan KM. A diabetes report card for the United States: quality of care in the 1990's. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:565-574.. While many factors contribute to poor outcome, this apparent contradiction also reflects the central role that people with diabetes themselves play in managing their own health, and the challenges associated with self-care3Goldman DP, Smith JP. Can patient self-management help explain the SES health gradient? PNAS 2002;99:10929-10934..
Diabetes self-management is among the most difficult of all chronic illness self-management regimens. To effectively self-manage diabetes, one must identify symptoms of emerging health crises, adhere to often complex medication schedules, and modify long-standing lifestyle behaviours such as diet and physical activity levels. Not surprisingly, many people have difficulty meeting the demands of their illness and experience poorer outcomes as a result.
The goal of diabetes self-management education is to support the efforts of people with diabetes to:
1. understand the nature of their illness and its treatment;
2. identify emerging health problems in early, reversible stages;
3. adhere to self-care practices; and
4. make needed changes in their health habits.
More broadly, diabetes self-management education assists people in coping with the mental and physical demands of their illness, given their unique economic, cultural and social circumstances.
To find out more about diabetes education, download this document which reviews the findings from recent research on diabetes self-management supports for adults: Effectiveness of diabetes education.pdf