{"id":627885,"date":"2024-05-23T09:30:29","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T13:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=627885"},"modified":"2025-11-05T15:38:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T20:38:28","slug":"diabetes-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/diabetes-support\/","title":{"rendered":"How to help patients manage diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diabetes is common in the United States. Nearly 12% of Americans live with the condition, and another 38% have prediabetes, according to the <\/span>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/span>. As the <\/span>most accessible healthcare professionals<\/span>, pharmacists play a valuable role in helping patients manage their condition. Wondering how to support someone with diabetes? There are lots of ways, from offering diabetes medication management sessions, immunizations, or even diabetes education for patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to support your patients with diabetes<\/span><\/h2>\n

Research shows that pharmacists can improve diabetes patient outcomes. One study<\/span>\u00a0aimed to assess whether a telephone-based pharmacist intervention could improve A1C in patients with poorly controlled diabetes through negotiated interviewing and shared decision-making. Patients who experienced the pharmacist intervention showed significantly improved diabetes control compared to those who did not receive the intervention. If you\u2019re unsure where to start, use these ideas to start helping your patients with diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be an empathetic listener<\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the best ways a pharmacist can help support patients with diabetes is simple: be an empathetic listener. Receiving a diabetes diagnosis can be life-changing for patients and their caregivers, especially with Type 1 diabetes. <\/span>Research from Stanford University<\/span><\/a> illustrates this, finding that people living with Type 1 diabetes make an average of 180 health-related decisions <\/span>per day.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Be mindful of your word choice when speaking with people about their diabetes. Put yourself in their shoes and offer the encouragement that you would want to receive if the roles were reversed. Never say things like \u201cIt could be worse\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s just diabetes; so many people have it.\u201d Also, avoid commenting on the patient\u2019s weight during your conversation, which can be offensive and make them less inclined to want your help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, resist describing long-term complications such as chronic kidney disease, vision loss, heart disease, or amputations as scare tactics to motivate your patients to control their diabetes. The diagnosis is a mental burden in itself, and using language like this could do more harm than good. Data shows that when physicians use scare tactics with their patients with diabetes, this <\/span>negatively impacts diabetes management<\/span><\/a> and can ultimately cause more harm to the patient.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Type 1 vs. Type 2 diabetes<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Offer patient counseling<\/span><\/h3>\n

When visiting the pharmacy to pick up diabetes medications or supplies for the first time, patients and caregivers may benefit from some extra time and help from their pharmacist. It can be overwhelming to learn how to take new medications, inject insulin or use an insulin pump, and use a blood glucose monitor.<\/span><\/p>\n

First-fill counseling is an opportunity for pharmacists to offer education and increase adherence. Below are some important counseling points to keep in mind for patients getting diabetes prescriptions for the first time:<\/span><\/p>\n