A new tool designed to help healthcare professionals boost referrals to patient education courses for people with diabetes has been announced by Diabetes UK and Kent and Medway STP.
The new ‘Improving your diabetes knowledge’ Information Prescription has been developed as part of ongoing efforts to help support people living with diabetes gain better control of their condition and reduce their risk of developing complications.
Analysis from Diabetes UK showed that only three in ten (30 per cent) people living with diabetes feel in control of their diabetes, and a diabetes course is a tried-and-tested way of gaining knowledge about managing the condition in a way that could help prevent or delay complications.
Diabetes UK is encouraging healthcare professionals to use the Information Prescription to have a useful conversation with their patients about education courses, boost referrals to local diabetes courses for everyone living with the condition, and to help make these a key part of the care and treatment people with diabetes receive.
Diabetes courses cover topics that help those living with the condition understand it better, such as food, medication, how to avoid diabetes problems and prevent complications and how to make the most of diabetes appointments.
Bridget Turner, Director of Policy Campaigns and Improvement at Diabetes UK, commented, “These courses play a vital role in supporting people with diabetes to manage their condition, live well and, ultimately, reduce their risk of developing serious complications in the future.”
