As US Demographics Evolve, New Guidance Highlights the Need for Culturally Competent, Individualized Care in People with Diabetes

The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) today released new guidance and supporting resources to help healthcare professionals engage in care that is tailored to an individual’s needs. The new practice paper Cultural and Health Literacy Considerations with Diabetes details the role of the diabetes care and education specialist and greater diabetes care team in assessing for and managing health literacy, numeracy and cultural competency.

Health literacy impacts how an individual processes and understands health information and services, and how they make decisions for their health. To reduce health disparities that could arise from low health literacy, written and oral communications between provider and the person with diabetes should be plain and clear. The new practice paper covers recommended strategies healthcare professionals can adopt to address this issue.

AADE’s new guidance also covers cultural competency, a subject of increasing importance as the number affected by diabetes and prediabetes continues to grow in the U.S. It is critical that healthcare professionals go beyond simply understanding an individual’s culture, but practice care that incorporates cultural sensitivity and humility – key concepts explained in the practice paper.

Supporting resources developed by AADE address person-centered care for LGBTQ, African American, Hispanic and other populations that may require cultural considerations for optimal outcomes. Person-centered care, a pillar of AADE’s vision for the specialty of diabetes care and education, means services and communication are individualized for the needs of the person with diabetes, leading to improved outcomes, communications and relationships between providers and clients.

Healthcare professionals who work closely with people with diabetes are encouraged to access AADE’s new guidance and resources at DiabetesEducator.org/CulturalCompetency.

About AADE AADE is a multi-disciplinary professional membership organization dedicated to improving diabetes care through innovative education, management and support. With more than 14,000 professional members including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, exercise specialists, and others, AADE has a vast network of practitioners working with people who have, are affected by or are at risk for diabetes. Learn more at www.diabeteseducator.org, or visit us on Facebook (American Association of Diabetes Educators), Twitter (@AADEdiabetes) and Instagram (@AADEdiabetes).

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