Self-Management

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Virtual coaching improved symptoms among patients who identified as Black with very poorly controlled asthma, according to a poster at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

ORLANDO — Self-managing programs to address comorbidities in patients with epilepsy require more education and independence from the creators, according to a poster.

While patient activation is “a fairly new term in the kidney space,” a speaker argued it is now necessary for nephrology nurses to understand and improve activation and self-management for patients with kidney disease.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis presents an opportunity to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of continued diabetes self-management education and support to reduce risk for poor outcomes, according to CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD.

Adults with diabetes continue to navigate diabetes self-management, supply shortages and in-person and telehealth appointments, all while coping with the common challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to two speakers.

In this video, Kellie Rodriguez, RN, MSN, MBA, CDE, president-elect of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, speaks with Diabetes in Real Life columnist Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDN, CDCES, FADCES, about plans for 2021.

The dropout rate for participants in diabetes self-management education and support classes remains high, and diabetes care and education specialists must look in the mirror to make needed improvements, according to a speaker.

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented transition to telehealth services has forced the federal government to loosen statutory and regulatory restrictions that prevented many people from providing or accessing virtual care. For remote diabetes care, new CMS waivers have been announced on an almost-weekly basis, as endocrinologists, diabetes care and education specialists, pharmacists, nurses and dietitians struggle to keep pace with the changes that affect their practices.

Patient activation interventions — meant to increase a patient’s knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their health — had a significant and positive effect on glycemic levels and self-management behaviors among patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers reported.

Alcoholics Anonymous appeared to be the most effective route for treating alcohol use disorder, according to study results published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.