The American Diabetes Association released a position statement in December,
2016, stating their belief that in order to achieve optimal medical
outcomes and psychological well-being, physicians and the health care team must
provide care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences,
needs, and values and ensure that patient values guide all clinical decisions.
Known as patient-centered psychosocial care, this requires that communications
and interactions, problem identification, psychosocial screening, diagnostic evaluation,
and intervention services take into account the context of the individuals with
diabetes and the values and preferences of these individuals. The position statement
gives diabetes care providers evidence-based guidelines for psychosocial assessment
and care of patients with diabetes and their families. Their recommendations
are based on commonly used clinical models, expert consensus, and tested
interventions - these recommendations take into account available resources,
practice patterns across the country, and practitioner burden. The position statement
focuses on the most common psychological factors affecting individuals with diabetes.
For more information see:
Psychosocial Care for People With Diabetes: A Position Statement of
the American Diabetes Association Diabetes.
Physicians
and educators at the diabetes center fully
support this statement and will continue to follow the guidelines, which we
already implement at Mount Sinai.
