Patient education support tools

NIH Institute and Center Resources for Diabetes
http://health.nih.gov/result.asp?disease_id=187

This website has a variety of diabetes resources (including some in Spanish) for consumers and patients from the following NIH Institutes and Offices:

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute on Aging, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, and Office of the Director. Find additional links to related topics including diabetes and pregnancy, diabetic eye, foot, kidney, nerve problems and teeth and gum problems, islet cell transplantation, juvenile diabetes, pancreas transplantation, senior's health, immune system, endocrine systems (hormones), and food, nutrition, and metabolism.

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is an information dissemination service of the NIDDK that works closely with the Diabetes Research and Training Centers, the NDEP, professional, patient, and voluntary associations, Government agencies, and state health departments, to identify and respond to informational needs about diabetes and its management. Diabetes education materials are available free or at little cost. Literature searches on myriad subjects related to diabetes are provided. NDIC publishes Diabetes Dateline, a semiannual newsletter.

National Diabetes Education Program
http://ndep.nih.gov

The National Diabetes Education Program has developed a number of unique education materials that address the needs of diverse populations. Publications are copyright-free and may be duplicated and distributed.

At this website you can find:

• Information on diabetes prevention
  Find tools that are part of the Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent type 2 Diabetes campaign.
• Information on diabetes control
  Learn all about diabetes--the types, treatments, monitoring, complications, and control. Link to publications on diabetes.
• Materials for the care of children with diabetes
  Find tips sheets for children with type 2 diabetes and a comprehensive Guide for School Personnel.
• Medicare coverage of diabetes
  Learn all about diabetes--the types, treatments, monitoring, complications, and control. Link to publications on diabetes.
• Spanish-language materials
  Includes materials for people with diabetes, reference materials for health care providers, and a media relations kit for conducting outreach to Hispanic/Latino communities.
• Asian-language materials
  Includes media relations kit for conducting diabetes outreach to Asian American communities.

HbA1c "Stoplight" Tool for Patient Education from the Alaska Area Diabetes Program
http://www.alaska.net/~akdm/Clinical/
patient_ed/hba1c_pat_ed.htm

This tool provides a visual way to empower the patient to take control of blood glucose levels. Scroll down to see the chart. A1C values are on the left side of the chart and the corresponding average daily blood glucose values are on the right side. One chart demonstrates the use of the tool with plotted dates and test results on bands of color. Green indicates stability and good control, yellow indicates caution and suggests steps for regaining control and red indicates a medical crisis that requires a provider's attention. A blank copy of the chart can be printed on a color printer, or received by mail from the program.

Self-management Support Tools from Improving Chronic Illness Care (ICIC)

ICIC is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that works in collaboration with organizations and innovators to improve chronic disease health care delivery in the United States. The program support patients and providers with tools, guidelines, specialty expertise and information systems.

• Healthy Changes Plan
  http://www.improvingchroniccare.org/tools/self_mngmt_support.pdf

  This one page tool documents chosen healthy changes in terms of "what, when, how, where, and how often".

• Diabetes Zones for Management. Green Zone: Great Control, Yellow Zone: Caution, Red Zone: Stop and Think
  http://www.improvingchroniccare.org/tools/criticaltools.html

  This tool divides A1C values into "green," "yellow" and "red" management zones. Green indicates stability and good control, yellow indicates caution and suggests steps for regaining control and red indicates a medical crisis that requires a provider's attention.

My Action Plan to Control my Blood Sugar
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/actionplan.htm
This one-page tool is from the online newsletter Diabetes In Control that presents information for medical professionals about diabetes and patient self-care.

A Physician's Guide to Nutrition in Chronic Disease
Management for Older Adults
http://www.aafp.org/x16085.xml

This guide provides a concise source of disease-specific nutrition information for physicians caring for older individuals with chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease. It includes "Food tips for heart conditions and diabetes mellitus" - a one-page sheet for patients. It was developed in partnership by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Dietetic Association.

Please note: Some links on this page take you outside the Better Diabetes Care website. The NDEP does not endorse or otherwise guarantee the accuracy of links that take you out of this website.