Dr. Sue Kirkman is featured in a new video from the National Diabetes and Education Program, discussing the ‘Guiding Principles’ report for diabetes care. Sue Kirkman, MD, professor of medicine and medical director of the UNC Diabetes Care Center’s Clinical Trials Unit, describes diabetes as a complicated disease, always changing, with new studies and new recommendations that must be communicated. In January, 2018, she assumed the position of chair of the National Diabetes Education Program, focused on translating diabetes research for health care professionals and the general public.
This week she’s featured in a new video that introduces the ‘Guiding Principles for the Care of People With or at Risk for Diabetes,’ in partnership with Judith Fradkin, M.D., director of the division of diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic diseases at the NIDDK. The updated guiding principles reflect new and changing evidence that has evolved over the past several years. This includes the development of a new principle (#6), that addresses overweight and obesity in the management of diabetes.
“These ‘Guiding Principles’ identify and synthesize areas of general agreement among existing guidelines to help guide primary care providers and health care teams to deliver quality care to adults with or at risk for diabetes,” said Kirkman.
“In the video, we discuss some of the updates reflecting new and changing evidence that have evolved over the last several years. We emphasize the importance of diabetes self-management education and support, and of providing patient-centered care using shared decision-making and individualized care.”
‘Guiding Principles’ is the result of a major collaborative effort among leading professional organizations and the NDEP to highlight areas of broad consensus for diabetes care, providing 10 clinically useful principles highlighting areas of agreement in diabetes prevention and management, developed by the NDEP and representatives from the following organizations: the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Physicians, American Diabetes Association, American Geriatrics Society, American Heart Association, Endocrine Society and the Obesity Society
The National Diabetes and Education Program (NDEP) works collaboratively with its partners at the federal, state, and local levels to improve the treatment and outcomes for people with diabetes, promote early diagnosis, and prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. NDEP is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Kirkman says education is constantly needed because diabetes management is suboptimal, particularly in disproportionately affected poor and minority populations. In fact, the CDC reports 30.3 million people (9.4 percent of the U.S. population) have diabetes, including 7.2 million who are undiagnosed.
“We aim to provide unbiased information and education that can help health care professionals– particularly primary care physicians who treat diabetes–have the knowledge they need to provide the best patient care.”
Visit the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website here.