Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES)



For people with diabetes, numerous studies report associations between diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) and improved health. DSMES services have been shown to have a positive impact on lifestyle changes, such as eating patterns and activity levels, ultimately leading to decreases in hemoglobin A1c levels, prevention or delay of diabetes complications, and improved quality of life. Since on average a person with diabetes spends less than 1% of their life with their healthcare team accessing services, the focus of DSMES is to help “the person with diabetes develop problem-solving skills and attain ongoing decision-making support necessary to self-manage diabetes.”

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/dsmes-toolkit/background/background.html