Living a long and healthy life with diabetes requires that you and your health care team work together to make decisions that can lead to improved health outcomes. Everyone on the team has knowledge and skills that are helpful in managing diabetes, but you take on the responsibility of becoming a “self-manager.”
Being a self-manager means you learn as much as you can and manage the disease to the best of your ability. You will do this successfully if you recognize that:
You need to be an active member and leader of your health care team and draw on their experience and knowledge at every clinic visit or meeting
Your team may include many people: your doctor or nurse practitioner, diabetes educators, nurses, a dietitian, a pharmacist, medical office workers, the staff at your health club or physical therapy center, and possibly a mental health therapist, social worker, home health aide, or others
Managing diabetes is a lifelong process, and over time, new information will become available and will need to be learned and built into your self-management decisions
The following question worksheet can help to guide for your discussions with team members.
