Northwest Texas Healthcare System Diabetes Education Service Merits ADA Recognition 23 Years in a Row
Northwest Texas Healthcare System’s diabetes self-management education service (DSMES) in Amarillo has been awarded continued recognition from the American Diabetes Association for the 23rd consecutive year. It was originally recognized in July 1996. DSMES offers high-quality education services to its participants.
The ADA Education Recognition Program (ERP), established in 1986, is a voluntary process which ensures that approved education services meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Services. Services that achieve recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable healthcare professionals who provide state-of-the-art information about diabetes management for participants.
Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. One benefit of compliance with the National Standards is greater consistency in the quality and quantity of education offered to people with diabetes. Participants in an ADA-recognized service will be taught, as needed, self-care skills that promote better management of their diabetes treatment regimen. All approved education services deliver individualized education plans that include any of the following topics as needed: diabetes disease process; nutritional management; physical activity; medications; monitoring; preventing, detecting, and treating acute complications; preventing, detecting, and treating chronic complications through risk reduction; goal setting and problem solving; psychological adjustment; and preconception care, management during pregnancy, and gestational management.
Ensuring high-quality education for participants’ self-care is one of the primary goals of the ADA Education Recognition Program. Through the support of the healthcare team and increased knowledge and awareness of diabetes, patients can assume a major part of the responsibility for their diabetes management. Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes may be prevented through self-management education.
“The process gives professionals national standards by which to measure the quality of the services they provide,” commented Jennifer Weinheimer, RN, CDE, Diabetes Coordinator at NWTHS. “And, of course, it helps consumers identify quality diabetes self-management education services that would support their care.”