How to Offer Engaging Diabetes Education: Don’t Just Check the Box

We can get so caught up in covering all of the content areas within the National Standards and internal protocols, that we often lose sight of our goal: to offer care that meets the specific needs of our clients.

Providing person-centered care is not about checking the box.  It’s time to free yourself from that practice and approach diabetes education based on individual need.  Of course, your knowledge should include all content areas, but what you review and discuss with each individual should be strictly based on their personal needs.  

Diabetes education should be:

  • Engaging.
  • Individualized.
  • Culturally relevant.
  • Person-centered.

Together, we have the power to make this happen so better outcomes follow. 


Three Action Items To Make A Change

1. Listen. Follow the National Standards while offering individualized care.

Episode Summary

Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) services, whether they are offered in group or one-on-one settings, must be individualized and engaging. Find out what the National Standards for DSMES really say about how you offer these services as we speak with Sacha Uelmen, ADCES director of diabetes education and prevention programs. In the second part of the episode, Sacha speaks with Lucille Hughes, the director of diabetes education for South Nassau Communities Hospital, on her tips for offering engaging and person-centered session in any setting. 


2. Read. Be an advocate for reduced complexities.  

For diabetes education to work, we must ensure we are delivering care that matters to our clients. ADCES Chief Science and Practice Officer Leslie E Kolb, RN, BSN, MBA shares why diabetes education utilization is so low and what you can do about it.

We Need to Fix Diabetes Education and It Starts Today