What is self management?
Being diagnosed with diabetes means that looking after your health is even more important. There are lots of people – GP, Practice Nurse, Hospital Consultant or Diabetes Specialist Nurse – who can provide advice and guidance on your condition. As a person with diabetes you are likely to have contact with a Healthcare Professional usually only for a few hours per year. The rest of the time you care for and manage your diabetes yourself – this is self management. You are the one who decides what and when you eat, how much exercise you take, how you control your weight, or whether you take your medication regularly.
So it is useful to know how best to manage your condition, what you should be doing and when you might need to ask for extra help from your Healthcare Professional. Good self management can help you improve the quality of your life and reduce the risk of developing complications. It can also help prevent hospital admissions or if you have to go in to hospital make it a shorter and better experience.
