Each year, diabetes educators from all over the world—including Nicole Johnson, DrPH, MPH, National Director, Breakthrough T1D Mission—gather for the annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), which took place August 9-12 in Houston, Texas. The AADE’s aim is to drive optimal outcomes through integration of diabetes clinical management, self-management education, prevention, and support.
We heard from Breakthrough T1D-funded keynote speaker Michael Harris, Ph.D., of the Oregon Health & Science University, who talked about the Novel Interventions in Children’s Healthcare (NICH), for the socially and medically vulnerable population, an innovative program designed to integrate medical care with behavioral therapy to support at-risk youth and their families. In the pilot study, there was a 50% reduction in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and a 40% reduction in diabetes hospital visits associated with diabetes with the NICH program. There were also significant cost savings to the health care system and Medicaid—70%—which is incredible!
We also learned about:
- the causes, symptoms, impact and assessment of depression, anxiety, diabetes distress and eating disorders
- fear of low blood sugar—called hypoglycemia—and how to overcome it
- technology, including continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and other devices, and what young people want you to know about it
- language used in diabetes and how to turn negative language into empowered, positive language
The big news from an organizational standpoint was the name change of the practice, going from Diabetes Educators to Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, which more accurately describes their efforts in the diabetes space.
