Model of Care
Continuing Education
Patients work with one-on-one with our diabetes nurse practitioner and registered dietician to craft an individualized plan which includes our Carb Counting 2.0 and insulin self-management modules. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never carb counted before or you’re already comfortable with self-management. Reviewing the basics with a Nutritionist or Diabetes Educator can help improve your glucose control.
Behavioral Support
Managing diabetes can be difficult and stressful. Diabetes-related distress, anxiety, and depression are not uncommon among young adults with diabetes. Our team members work to identify barriers of positive self-management such as issues with work or school schedules, environment, risky behaviors, and eating disorders. The Supporting Emerging Adults with Diabetes program makes sure that you’re receiving the psychological support necessary to maintain your health and live an active fulfilling life. We have full-time access to a specialized diabetes psychologist that is available for group and one-on-one therapy.
Engagement in Care
To promote continued engagement in diabetes self-management, we work with our patients to identify short and long-term goals, and arrange appropriate follow-up via return visit, phone, or messaging through the electronic health record. Staying focused on your care is important to us, so our physicians spend time with you setting achievable goals for your diabetes management. A member of the SEAD Care Team will follow up with these goals to make sure you remain on track.
Pediatric Partnership
Our practice is always evolving and growing. We routinely reach out to pediatric endocrine providers to receive feedback and ideas to continually improve the care of our patients receive as they change providers.
Care Coordination
Communication between your former pediatric endocrine provider and your new adult care team is critical in ensuring a smooth and satisfactory transition. That’s why our care team maintains contact with your previous provider throughout the transition process to guarantee that you continue to receive quality, customized care as you enter the adult practice. Using a transfer summary document, adapted from the Endocrine Society’s transition template, pediatric providers are able to offer valuable information to the adult team to ease the transition of care and ensure patient needs are addressed.
Orientation to Adult Care
As you become an adult, your diabetes management will naturally shift from family-centered treatment to a more individual-centered treatment plan. This is a difficult, but necessary change in the way you manage your diabetes, so after your first appointment, a Diabetes Nurse will meet with you to discuss:
- Your expectations of the care team
- The care team’s expectation of you
- A1c targets and complication screenings
- Resources provided to you in the young adult program
A brief orientation informs patients of the providers on their new care team and how to reach them; provides expectations of diabetes self-management in a team-centered approach; and expresses eagerness to collaborate and share successes and difficulties with diabetes management.
