From the ACP Diabetes Care Guide

A workbook patients can use to document the steps they take toward better health.

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From the ACP Diabetes Care Guide

This questionnaire can help patients identify their concerns before they visit your practice.

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From the ACP Diabetes Care Guide

This tool helps patients identify goals, challenges, and strategies.

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From the ACP Diabetes Care Guide

A form to help patients keep important information handy at all times.

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When you have diabetes, taking care of yourself is important. Your doctor and health care team are here to help you. However, most of your day-to-day diabetes care is up to you and your family.

NOTE: Living with Diabetes: An Everyday Guide for You and Your Family was produced by the ACP Foundation for patients with diabetes. Designed in a magazine format with lots of photos and a conversational style, the guide is an entirely new means of patient education in that the emphasis is on action (what patients need to do every day to manage their diabetes), rather than on an exchange of information. This guide is copyrighted and is available in both English and Spanish versions.

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This patient information booklet discussess diabetes and how it affects the African American community in a culturally sensitive way.

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This is a Guide for Hispanic American patients with diabetes that is both in English and Spanish and discussess diabetes care in a culturally sensitive manner.

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A simple and brief patient information brochure on diabetes and its complications.

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The ACP and the ADA jointly developed this patient information guide that covers many aspects of diabetes care including glucose control, blood pressure control and lipids control. It is available in English and Spanish.

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From the National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood.

Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. Pregnant women can also get diabetes, called gestational diabetes.

Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes may include fatigue, thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and frequent urination. Some people have no symptoms. A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes. You should also monitor your glucose level and take medicine if prescribed.

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There are 20.8 million children and adults in the US with diabetes -- and nearly one-third of them (or 6.2 million people) do not know it. Take this simple risk test from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to see if you are at risk for having or developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. If you are a member of one of these ethnic groups, you need to pay special attention to this test.

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From the National Library of Medicine
This multimedia tutorial provides an overview of diabetes and offers tips for patients on managing the disease.

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From the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), patients can take this guided tour to learn more about how their health information is collected, where it goes, and how it is used.

This and other PHR resources from AHIMA help patients learn the basics of the PHR concept and get started using one, which can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their self-management.

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From the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), this site contains a variety of resources for patients to assist them in taking a greater role in managing their care through the use of personal health records (PHRs).

PHRs allow patients to provide doctors with valuable information that can help improve the quality of care. A PHR can help reduce or eliminate duplicate tests and allow patients to receive faster, safer treatment and care in an emergency.

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