Updated Diabetes Standards Target Improved Chronic Disease Management 

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) announced new updates to the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support to address health equality and improve access to diabetes support and services.  

The update, which includes some of the biggest changes since the National Standards were introduced in 1984, will provide a renewed focus on increasing and maintaining person-centered care and reducing administrative burden.  

“The newly revised National Standards include revisions to help reduce administrative burden for the diabetes care and education specialist while allowing for more time and focus on providing person-centered education and care to the person with diabetes,” ADCES Chief Science, Practice and Education Officer Leslie Kolb, RN, BSN, MBA, said in a press release. “These changes address the evolving current and future workforce and health care landscape.” 

Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) services provide those with diabetes and caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and abilities crucial for effective diabetes self-management.  

According to the press release, DSMES services are guided by the national standards and the guidelines are updated and published every five years to support effective chronic disease management.  

“The National Standards for DSMES provide diabetes care and education specialists with structure to guide their services. Timely revision by our colleagues in diabetes care and education align the standards with current evidence-based practices and utilization trends,” said ADA Vice President of Health Care Programs Laura Hieronymus, DNP, MSEd, RN. 

“These updates reflect research for diabetes education and support, behavioral health, clinic and health care environment, technical, and sustainability of business practice.” 

The 2022 updates provide recommendations and guidelines applicable to DSMES in small, solo practices, and those in large, multicenter facilities; care coordination programs; population health programs; and technology-enabled models of care.  

The updates that aim to improve access and health equality by reducing barriers to services include: 

• Streamlining to reduce the number of standards from ten to six 
• Combining the quality coordinator and DSMES team under one standard to reflect the important role the entire care team provides, also including ore clearly defined qualifications and requirements for DSMES team members 
• More strongly emphasizing personalizing DSMES and ongoing patient support and follow-up. 
• Reducing administrative burden by providing a clear documentation structure for DSMES services that can be implemented in any paper or electronic system, as well as an emphasis on the importance of communication and collaboration across the care team. 
• Emphasis on the importance of organizational support for DSMES services 
• Clarity around reporting metrics and outcomes for continuous quality improvement 

The 2022 National Standard Revision Taskforce comprises 22 diabetes care and education specialists who are experts from several healthcare professional disciplines. The group based the national standards on an extensive and comprehensive body of literature and data.