Providing Lifelong Education and Support: Updates in the 2017 National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support.

Abstract

The world of diabetes is changing rapidly. Health care professionals, educators, and people with diabetes are advocating for more and better management options. Educators and providers must grow with the technology and tools available to better serve participants and patients. The 2017 National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) (1), issued jointly this summer by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), help educators and providers do just that, by outlining requirements of DSMES service providers and offering best practices for those in the field. The DSMES standards are updated periodically—currently, every 5 years—by a Standards Revision Task Force convened by ADA and AADE to review and incorporate the latest research. Following are some of the major updates and highlights from the 2017 DSMES standards, including key takeaways and tools for providers of DSMES services. Previous DSMES standards referred separately to “diabetes self-management education” and “diabetes self-management support.” In the 2017 standards, the two have been combined and are now referred to jointly as “diabetes self-management education and support.” Education is not sustainable for people with diabetes if they do not have the support to continue to make choices and changes to manage their condition. Likewise, support from a diabetes care team needs to include a teaching element, so people with diabetes are up to date about tools and actions they can use for their management. Also, both education and support need to be ongoing, because diabetes is a lifelong condition; there is no “one …