[START WITH A PATIENT STORY – something compelling that demonstrates the value of diabetes education.] This patient’s story illustrates why I’m passionate about my work and how diabetes education can improve people’s lives. My name is [FULL NAME] and I’ve been a diabetes educator for [X] years. I work at [Place of Employment], [elaborate on relationship with audience or provide one-line generic description of place]. Today I would like to tell you more about how diabetes educators can help you, your patients with diabetes and those at risk for the disease.

Diabetes by the Numbers 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes 29 million Americans have diabetes 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. As you no doubt see almost every day, diabetes is a growing epidemic. The condition affects 26 million Americans and 79 million people have pre-diabetes. One in nine Americans have diabetes today. It’s projected that one in five will have it in 2025 and one in three by 2050. Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke, and is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Complicating matters, many people with diabetes have multiple comorbidities including hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease and obesity.

The Need for Diabetes Education Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) Covered by Medicare and most health plans Healthy People 2020 priority Diabetes education is defined as a collaborative process through which people with diabetes or at risk for the disease gain the knowledge and skills needed to modify behavior and successfully self-manage diabetes and its related conditions. Diabetes education or Diabetes Self-Management Training is a covered benefit when provided by a diabetes educator within an accredited program, and the need for it is nationally recognized. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has made increasing the number of people who receive diabetes education a priority as part of its Healthy People 2020 initiative.

Diabetes Education Patient Benefits Studies have shown people who receive diabetes education: Use primary care / prevention services Take medications as prescribed Control glucose, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol Have lower health costs This is because research shows that people who have received diabetes education are more likely to: Use primary care and preventive services, and be more proactive in their care, Take medications as prescribed, Control their glucose, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and Have lower health care related costs.

Diabetes Education Underutilized Few people with diabetes receive diabetes education… Despite the fact that there is solid evidence that diabetes education can make a significant difference in patient outcomes and satisfaction, less than half of people with diabetes receive formal diabetes education.

The research shows: People with Diabetes Don’t follow through on referral Are emotional / shocked at diagnosis End up relying on family / friends Believe they know enough / can handle it on their own Providers Know importance of DE, but don’t necessarily prescribe – or don’t prescribe definitively enough Sometimes forget to follow up with patients to encourage attendance And we’ve identified some reasons why this may be the case. The American Association of Diabetes Educators conducted a survey of both healthcare providers and people with diabetes. We found that often times, patients are shocked by their diagnosis and feeling overwhelmed may cause them to “tune out” when you talk to them about how to manage the condition – particularly at the point of diagnosis. We can help with this time consuming follow up. The research also found that although many prescribers know the importance of diabetes education, some don’t prescribe it for all their patients. And sometimes, providers don’t follow up during patient visits to ask about whether the patient is participating in diabetes education. This type of follow up would help reinforce the importance of diabetes education.

Treating People With Diabetes Demands on your practice are escalating Enabling patients to help themselves Balancing priorities and goals And it’s understandable why. Managing diabetes can be overwhelming for patients and therefore, for you, as well. It’s complicated and time-consuming, adding to the demands on your practice. For each patient, you’re faced with balancing priorities and goals – choosing which problem is most urgent, as you try to help them manage their disease along with possible co-morbodities. And often, patients can’t or won’t do all they need to do to help themselves – whether due to their level of health literacy or other circumstances – which can be frustrating. That’s where Diabetes Educators can step in and help.

Partner With a Diabetes Educator We help you: Help patients improve outcomes Help delay onset of diabetes Track and monitor patients’ progress Increase efficiency Meet pay-for-performance and QI goals Diabetes educators can help you. When we assume time-consuming patient training, counseling and follow-up duties, it helps you increase your efficiency; as well as meet pay-for-performance and quality improvement goals. We track and monitor your patients’ progress and provide you with status reports. And we can help your high-risk patients delay the onset or escalation of diabetes through prevention techniques and self-management training. [If applicable, let your audience know your direct effect on meeting performance goals required in the Affordable Care Act.]

Partner With a Diabetes Educator We help your patients: Develop self-management skills Achieve better metabolic control Improve lipid levels Reduce blood pressure And of course - by partnering with a diabetes educator, you’re also helping your patients. Through formal Diabetes Self-Management Training, we guide and teach and help your patients help themselves, resulting in better self-management skills and improved metabolic control, lipid levels and blood pressure.

Who are Diabetes Educators? Licensed healthcare professional RN Registered dietitian Pharmacist Diabetes educators come from a variety of different backgrounds. Many of us are registered nurses, registered dietitians or pharmacists, among others. And many of us are certified in diabetes education – which means we have advanced education in the area and are either Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE) or Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM). I’m a [X]. We all are licensed health professionals who are trained to help people with diabetes learn how to manage their condition.

How Do Diabetes Educators Help? AADE7™ Self-Care Behaviors: Healthy eating Being active Monitoring Taking medication Problem-solving Healthy coping Reducing risks So how do we help you and your patients? We concentrate on the seven self-care behaviors that are essential for improved health status and greater quality of life for people with diabetes, including healthy eating, being active, monitoring, taking medication, problem-solving, healthy coping and reducing risks. Let me explain…

How Do Diabetes Educators Help? We help people with diabetes: Learn basic information Seven tenets of self-care behavior Incorporating diabetes management into life Understand how to use devices Blood glucose meters Insulin pens Insulin pumps Continuous glucose monitors Adopt healthy eating and physical activity habits Nutrition education Meal planning Weight loss strategies What we actually do is teach, coach and guide people with diabetes, beginning with helping them learn about diabetes, including what it is, its causes and the risks of not managing it properly. We help them understand the best ways to use their monitoring devices and pumps, including assessing equipment choice, timing and frequency of testing. We explain how they can adopt healthy eating habits and make real-world changes to their diets and lifestyles, including meal planning, weight-loss strategies, and other disease-specific nutrition counseling.

How Do Diabetes Educators Help? Develop problem-solving and stress management strategies / skills Monitor blood glucose – interpret and respond Understand how medications work We also help people with diabetes develop problem-solving skills and coping strategies when life situations change, complications happen and/or stressors emerge, including teaching coping mechanisms and how to overcome obstacles. We help them learn how to monitor their blood glucose, and interpret and respond to results. We also teach important information about how their medications work, why it is important to take them on time and how to deal with side effects. Let me tell you about a patient I counseled…..[PROVIDE ANECDOTE: telling the story of a patient who you helped and how (for example, helping a patient who made certain changes to his/her diet and started exercising and lost X pounds and lowered their glucose levels, etc.) Be SPECIFIC with examples, including the patient’s struggles prior to diabetes education, how you helped him/her, specifically, changes made and what the results were.]

Find a Diabetes Educator Diabetes Educators work in: Hospital inpatient / outpatient departments Clinics Public health departments Physician practices Private practice Diabetes educators work in a variety of venues, from private practices to public health departments to hospitals and clinics. There are a many options for working with a diabetes educator, including by contracting with or employing one, or by referring your patients to one. You can start the process by making a referral.

Learn more Accreditation organizations: American Association of Diabetes Educators Multidisciplinary professional association Provide members with tools, training, support American Diabetes Association Most diabetes educators work within a program that has been accredited by either: the American Association of Diabetes Educators or the American Diabetes Association The professional association specific to diabetes educators is the American Association of Diabetes Educators, or AADE. AADE provides diabetes educators with the tools, training and support to help patients change their behaviors, accomplish their goals and improve their lives. AADE can be a great resource if you’re looking for information about diabetes and diabetes education. More information is available on the website at www.diabeteseducator.org, including a diabetes educator locator.

Thank you! [Insert your name and contact information in this box and a photo in the one on the right.]