Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition which is complex and evolves over time. Diabetes is a patient centric condition and requires active involvement of the person affected.

It is often seen that people with diabetes and their HCP team may have different perspectives on goals and outcomes of treatment. The HCP teams focus remains attaining glycemic and metabolic targets in order to prevent the onset or progression of complications while for the person with diabetes retaining the quality of life and symptomatic management may be more important.

Education, therefore, plays an important role in empowering a patient to understand and tackle the day to day issues that he may face in living with diabetes.

What do you think is more important and why: achieving targets or quality of life?

Information about the moderator

Ms.Dave, PGD, RD, is a trained diabetes educator. Her background is in dietetics with a post graduate diploma in Applied Nutrition and Dietetics and a post graduate diploma in Business Administration. She has been working in out-patient care over eleven years and is currently working in a private endocrinology clinic in Mumbai. Ms. Dave is a member of the IDF Consultative Section on Diabetes.

References

1) Applying a holistic view to diabetes management and care in Europe (2011).

2) New data identifies gaps in some patient-physician perceptions of diabetes control and improving communication may benefit diabetes management 2015.

3) Kapur A et al (1997) Diabetes care in India: Patients perceptions, attitudes and practices.

4) Type 2 diabetes patients' perspectives on lifestyle counselling and weight management in general practice a qualitative study.