Moving Beyond the Basics
Part of patient-centered diabetes education is helping patients deepen their understanding of their chronic illness. The more that patients learn about the scope of their disease and how their lifestyle choices affect their health, the more likely they are to understand the importance of getting involved in their own care.
The materials in this section can be helpful as you counsel your patients. These resources outline the disease and its management in patient-friendly language, and they are intended to supplement the diabetes education you provide.
- Managing Type 2 Diabetes includes information on managing acute complications and managing diabetes while coping with the stresses of having another illness.
- How Diabetes Affects the Body informs patients about the potential effects of diabetes on the feet, eyes, heart, gums and teeth and on sexual health.
- Using Medication for Type 2 Diabetes gives an overview of the types of oral medications now on the market to help manage type 2 diabetes.
- Diabetes and Your Lifestyle reviews not only diet and exercise, but also how to change habits and why healthy lifestyle choices are critical.
- Curriculum for Established Patients gives you a series of articles to print out and share with patients based on their individual diabetes education needs. Topics include the effects of diabetes on different parts of the body and ways to integrate healthy habits into your patients’ lifestyles.
