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When Michael Weiss received his type 1 diabetes diagnosis 23 years ago, his physician explained at length the intricacies and faults of Weiss's pancreas. That's not what Weiss wanted to hear.
"I don't need to know how a clock works to be able to tell time," explains Weiss, a former chair of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Board. "I wanted to know how to live with the major life changes about to occur for me with this disease."
A new set of diabetes posters, or "maps," seeks to give patients the practical tools Weiss lacked. Developed by ADA and Healthy Interactions Inc. (Healthyi), a Chicago-based company that designs health education programs, the U.S. Diabetes Conversation Maps help guide diabetes patients on diet, exercise, medications, and the like, with assistance from medical professionals. ADA and Healthyi unveiled the maps at a press conference at ADA's 67th Scientific Sessions, held June 22–26 in Chicago.
Geared for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients, the five maps offer colorful graphics and come with questions and activities. Ideally, a diabetes educator would use the maps to facilitate discussion with 7–10 patients, but providers also can use them one-on-one with patients, say members of the ADA committee that determined map content. Serving on that committee were Weiss, two nurses, and two dietitians.
The maps also reflect a shift toward patient-centered diabetes education.
"Ninety-nine percent of diabetes care is delivered by the person who has it," explains committee member Martha M. Funnell, RN, CDE, co-director for the Behavioral, Clinical, and Health Systems Intervention Research Core at Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center in Ann Arbor. "No matter how good the advice to patients may be, no matter how good their medical care is, the bottom line is they go home and decide exactly what they will do."
To help inform those decisions, each conversation map poster provides a special-focus illustration:
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Before using the maps with patients, professionals must attend three training sessions held in major U.S. cities throughout 2007. A first wave of educators received training at the ADA sessions. All trainees receive free curricular materials consisting of the five maps and a facilitator binder.
To see if the maps work as intended, Healthyi will track patient and educator satisfaction. The company also will gauge before-and-after patient behaviors, such as eating patterns, and clinical measures, such as A1C readings.
Over the next 2 years, Merck & Co. is sponsoring the maps' distribution
to >10,000 U.S. health care professionals. The maps' developers say they
hope the tools reach millions of diabetes patients. 
Footnotes
For complimentary training to use the U.S. Diabetes Conversation Maps with patients, register at www.healthyi.com/hcp/diabetes/.
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| DOC News | Diabetes | Diabetes Care | Clinical Diabetes | Diabetes Spectrum |
