Who Manages Your Diabetes?

Managing a chronic condition such as diabetes takes time and effort. To help ensure your personal goals and needs are met, it is important to build a health care team that is centered around you!

Diabetes healthcare team

Members of your healthcare team may include the following professionals:

• Primary care physician
• Endocrinologist
• Registered nurse (RN)
• Registered dietitian (RD)
• Pharmacist
• Certified diabetes educator (CDE)
• Mental health professional
•  Dentist
• Podiatrist
• Nephrologist

While, each member of your healthcare team plays an important role, having an endocrinologist may be a vital member that you are missing thus potentially preventing you from optimizing your diabetes control.

What is an endocrinologist?

An endocrinologist is an internal medicine physician that has completed specialized training (a fellowship) in the endocrine system. The endocrine system is the system responsible for managing the bodies hormones.

For diabetes management, some of you may see your primary care physician (who is typically an internal medicine physician) and some of you may choose to see an endocrinologist.

Your primary care physician’s task is helping you stay healthy. Sometimes this means referring you to a specialist if your medical condition is out of your physician’s scope of practice.

You may have a special connection with your primary care physician and feel concerned about seeing another health care professional. Seeing a specialist, such as an endocrinologist, does not mean that you are cutting ties with your primary care physician. Rather, it helps to ensure that your care is customized to meet your specific medical needs.

Who might benefit from adding an endocrinologist to his/her health care team?

• You are looking for a fresh set of eyes on your overall diabetes management
• You are not meeting your glycemic goals (blood glucose and/or A1c)
• You are on multiple oral medications
• Your diabetes is managed with insulin or you will be starting on insulin
•    You have decided to transition from insulin injections to an insulin pump
•   You would like additional diabetes self-care education (this education may be provided by your endocrinologist or from a diabetes educator that works alongside your endocrinologist).

Who manages your diabetes? Please share your experiences with the type2diabetes.com community.