Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSME/S)What Have Been Learnt in Gabric Diabetes Education Association

Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires a person with diabetes (PWD) to make a multitude of daily self-management decisions and perform complex care activities.Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is the process of facilitating the knowledge, skill, and ability necessary for diabetes self-care. Diabetes self-management support (DSMS) refers to the support that is required for implementing and sustaining coping skills and behaviors needed to self-manage on an ongoing basis. DSMES improves hemoglobin A1C by as much as 1% in people with type 2 diabetes and has been shown to be cost-effective by reducing hospital admissions. DSMES is associated with improved diabetes knowledge and self-care behaviors, lower A1C, improved quality of life, reduced all-cause mortality risk, healthy coping, and reduced health care costs. American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that all PWD should participate in DSMES programs. Despite this fact, there are limited educational programmes in the Islamic Republic of Iran for PWD and no national standard DSMES protocol has been implicated in the country.In the Islamic Republic of Iran, there are currently limited structured educational programmes and no national standards for DSMES protocol. In response to this, the GABRIC Diabetes Education Association has been developed as a school for people with diabetes. We have learned that DSME should be tailored based on individual needs, it should be accompanied by peer support, and it is crucial to utilize technology to expand access to DSMES in remote areas.