A new set of 10 clinically useful principles highlighting areas of agreement in diabetes management and prevention, including the scope and standards for diabetes educators from the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), will help healthcare teams nationwide improve care for people with diabetes. This resource is presented by the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) with support of more than a dozen federal agencies and professional organizations. NDEP is a partnership between the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As healthcare professionals treat patients with or at risk for diabetes, the new Guiding Principles for the Care of People With or at Risk for Diabetes available atwww.YourDiabetesInfo.org/GuidingPrinciples serves as a comprehensive resource in areas that include—but are not limited to— identification and management of diabetes, self-management support for patients, physical activity, and blood glucose control.

AADE Guidelines for the Practice of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) have been incorporated into the NDEP Guiding Principles, highlighting the key role of diabetes educators in the self-management process. DSME has become a critical element in the treatment of people with diabetes and the Guiding Principles will be a reference for use by diabetes educators, healthcare institutions and organizations.

Diabetes has placed both a healthcare and financial burden on the United States. More than 29 million Americans have diabetes and another 86 million – more than one in three adults – have prediabetes. Meanwhile, diabetes costs the country $245 billion annually, according to estimates from the American Diabetes Association.

In Guiding Principles, the National Diabetes Education Program has not created new guidelines, but rather identified consensus points from a wide range of existing guidelines. It compiles sound practices that clinicians can rely on to improve outcomes for their patients with diabetes.

The NDEP works with more than 200 partners and offers materials and resources to the public, people diagnosed with diabetes, healthcare professionals and business professionals. To learn more or to download NDEP resources, please visitwww.YourDiabetesInfo.org .