Diabetes groups update standards for self-management
The 2017 revision from the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Diabetes Educators offers recommendations on both diabetes self-management support and education.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Association of Diabetes Educators recently released the 2017 National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support.
The standards were last updated in 2014. The 2017 revision is the first to combine support and education to reflect the value of ongoing counsel for improved diabetes self-care, according to a press release from the ADA.
The 10 standards outline recommendations for care and education programs' structure and curriculum and are applicable to educators in solo practices, large multicenter programs, care coordination programs, population health programs, and technology-enabled models of care. They advocate a team model of care, with one standard noting that at least one team member should be a registered nurse, registered dietitian nutritionist, pharmacist with training and experience pertinent to diabetes self-management education and support, or another health care professional certified as a diabetes educator.
The standards also encourage self-management and education programs to evaluate the populations they serve and develop individualized care plans for patients, as well as offer ongoing patient support and monitor patient progress. Each program should also have a quality coordinator to measure the impact and effectiveness of the services and identify areas for improvement using process and outcome data.
The standards were published online on July 28 and will appear in the September issues of Diabetes Care and The Diabetes Educator.