Which Diabetes Team Members do you need on your team?
Managing diabetes and preventing or identifying complications, requires input from various health care professionals. This “diabetes team” of health care professionals each addresses an aspect that is important in managing your diabetes.
Who are your Diabetes Team Members?
Your diabetes team members includes:
- Diabetes Educator
- Dietitian
- Dentist
- Exercise Physiologist
- General Practitioner
- Optometrist and Ophthalmologist
- Psychologist/Social Worker
- Pharmacist
- Podiatrist
Diabetes requires changes to lifestyle, as well as ongoing monitoring and care. Only you can make the decisions and perform the actions needed to manage your diabetes and live well. More than 99% of the time, you will be managing and monitoring your diabetes. Less than 1% of your time will be spent with medical and health care professionals.
On this journey, you will interact with your allied health team. You will see, on average, between two and four different health professions over a 12-month period. The more support you get, the better your results will be.
What Does Each Team Member Contribute?
Some diabetes team members are more involved in helping you achieve control and manage your diabetes (or even reverse it), while others are there to help prevent and address complications that can occur. The contributions of the “diabetes team” changes throughout your diabetes lifetime.
Diabetes Educator
This member will help you understand your diabetes and day to day aspects of living with and managing your diabetes.
Dietitian
A health care professional who will provide advice on diet and nutrition as well as help you develop a diet plan based on your individual needs. As diet is a major factor in the management of Type 2 diabetes, advice and planning from a professional are important.
Dentist
A health care professional who will help identify or prevent disease of the teeth, jaw and mouth. People with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing gum disease (periodontitis) which is closely linked to kidney disease (nephropathy) and heart disease (cardiovascular disease).
Exercise Physiologist
A health care professional who plays an imperative role in managing diabetes. Physical activity and exercise are a major part of managing all types of diabetes. Exercise physiologists are university qualified and help you develop exercise plans based on what you need. Unlike personal trainers, they can take into consideration your physical ability, as well as previous injuries or other health conditions and make a tailored program for you.
General Practitioner
A medical professional is responsible for coordinating your care and working with you to develop a plan to manage your diabetes. They will likely be the ones to diagnose diabetes and will monitor your diabetes through measurements and tests (e.g. HbA1c, blood pressure, cholesterol etc.) and coordinate team member input.
Optometrist and Ophthalmologist
Optometrists and Ophthalmologists specialize in conditions of the eyes. Due to the damage that can occur in the eyes (retinopathy), these team members are imperative in assessing, diagnosing and managing issues that occur in the eyes due to diabetes.
Psychologist / Social Worker
Mental health professionals who help you deal with the difficulties that can occur when living with diabetes. Dealing with a diagnosis, or managing lifestyle changes can be extremely difficult. These professionals are there to provide support, advise, and give you the “tools” to address and manage difficulties associated with diabetes such as stress and anxiety.
Pharmacist
Pharmacists have a broad knowledge of medications and are well suited to provide information on medications, when they should be taken, how they work and any interactions with other medications that may occur. Adverse reactions are always limited but can occur and often the pharmacist is the first person you may tell about changes. Many pharmacists also support you with access to blood glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors and kidney health checks.
Podiatrist
A health care professional who specializes in assessing, diagnosing and treating conditions of the foot and leg as well as preventing complications. As people with diabetes often develop issues in the feet due to loss of blood flow (peripheral vascular disease) and nerve damage (neuropathy), podiatrists constantly monitor your feet for any signs of these complications as well as other issues in the feet and legs, and prevent and/or manage them.
Which Diabetes Team Member Can Help?
The more support the better. Think about which team members can help you live with well controlled diabetes and complication reduction. Talk with your GP about which other team members can help you improve how you manage and live with your diabetes.
Your GP will give you feedback, support, referrals and coordinate services where necessary to optimise which team members are best for you.
Conclusion: Understanding Diabetes Team Members
Diabetes is a condition that is complex. Both managing diabetes (and even aiming to reverse it in some cases) and preventing or identifying complications, require input from various health care professionals. This “diabetes team” of health care professionals each addresses an aspect that is important in managing your diabetes. Some are more involved in helping you achieve control and manage your diabetes (or even reverse it), while others are there to help prevent and address complications that can occur. The contributions of the “diabetes team” changes throughout your diabetes lifetime.
Diabetes requires changes to lifestyle, as well as ongoing monitoring and care. Only you can make the decisions and perform the actions needed to manage your diabetes and live well. More than 99% of the time, you will be managing and monitoring your diabetes. Less than 1% of your time will be spent with medical and health care professionals.
