Assemble Your Team
It Takes A Team
Every diabetes book, article, or Web site you read will tell you that diabetes is best managed as a team effort. But never forget that YOU are the most important member of your diabetes care team.
The people who are part of your diabetes care team will depend on your needs.
At the very least, the core team should include a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist, and a dietitian. Ideally, one of these people will also be a specially trained certified diabetes educator (CDE).
In time, the team may grow to include one or more specialists in the following areas:
- Feet (podiatrist)
- Heart (cardiologist)
- Kidneys (nephrologist)
- Nervous system (neurologist)
- Mobility (physical therapist)
- Teeth (dentist/oral hygienist)
- Veins and arteries (vascular surgeon)
Your care team also may come to include community partners such as:
- Diabetes support group members
- Church group members
- A public health worker
- Your employer
- An occupational health worker
- A minority advocacy organization
- Community organizations
- An interpreter
Physicians
Primary care physicians (PCPs), such as general practitioners and family practitioners, provide most of the diabetes care in the US. Many have special training and experience in diabetes care. If your current doctor has little or no experience or interest in team-based diabetes care, you should look for one who does.
Find a local doctor who specializes in diabetes
Visit http://recognition.ncqa.org and http://www.dlife.com/locator for a list of recognized diabetes specialists in your state. At the site, select your state, and select the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program.
Your PCP may refer you to an endocrinologist/diabetologist, a doctor who specializes in diabetes treatment.
Find an endocrinologist in your area
To find a local endocrinologist, visit the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Web site.
Though not part of the core team, an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) or optometrist should be among the specialists you see at least once a year. This doctor will perform a dilated eye exam to check for diabetes-related eye complications that could result in loss of vision or blindness if untreated.
Certified Diabetes Educators
Ideally, one member of your core team should be a CDE. Your CDE will educate you about the day-to-day aspects of diabetes self-care and will serve as your "go-to" person when you have questions or problems related to the routine management of your diabetes.
To become a CDE, a person must first be professionally trained and certified in another healthcare profession (for example, a nurse, doctor, optometrist, psychologist, podiatrist [foot specialist], or exercise physiologist).
CDEs have specific training and experience that can help you improve the way you manage your diabetes.
Find a CDE in your area
The American Association of Diabetes Educators Web site includes a "Find a Diabetes Educator" page where you can locate a CDE by name, city, state, or ZIP code.
Pharmacists
If your doctor decides you should be taking insulin or any other drug to treat your diabetes, just about any pharmacy can fill the prescription. But you will be better served in the long term if you can find and establish a relationship with a pharmacist who specializes in diabetes care.
Ask your doctor or your CDE to recommend a pharmacist in your area who specializes in diabetes care. If you switch to this pharmacist, be sure to transfer information about all your current medication to the new pharmacy. One of the most important services your diabetes pharmacy/pharmacist will provide is to help you avoid unwanted drug interactions.
Dietitians
Healthy eating is very important for people with diabetes because the food we eat affects our weight, blood sugar, and how our body uses insulin. Registered dietitians are experts in nutrition, and they can help you figure out what types of foods are best for you based on your weight, lifestyle, medications, and other health-related goals (including lowering your blood pressure or blood fat levels).
Find a registered dietitian in your area
The American Dietetic Association Web site includes a search engine to help you locate a dietitian in your area who specializes in diabetes.
Family and Friends
Family members, friends, and life partners can be vital members of your diabetes care team. In the best possible case, you’ll find someone who will agree to be your "diabetes partner." A person who helps you in this way might:
- Go with you to medical appointments to listen and take notes so you’ll be sure to understand and remember all the instructions and information you receive
- Support you in case of an emergency
- Be an exercise partner
- Help you make disease management decisions, including healthy food choices
- Remind you to take your medication and check your blood glucose levels
- Help with your emotional well-being by being a sympathetic listener and counselor
The healthcare professionals on your diabetes team are bound by law to keep your health information private. If you’d like someone else to be able to discuss your diabetes status with your healthcare providers, you’ll need to tell your doctor, nurse, or CDE. You may need to sign a release form to give your diabetes partner access to the rest of your care team.
Next Article: Control Your Blood Sugar
Download These PDF Tools: Diabetes Care Team Pocket Card
