New Model Needed in Diabetes Care

NOORDWIJK, The Netherlands, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Urgent need to mobilise and involve people with diabetes in partnership efforts to face the challenges of the diabetes pandemic 

Link to the multimedia release

Participants at the 5^th International DAWN™ Summit (Diabetes Attitudes Wishes and Needs) today pledged to work together to make person-centred diabetes care a reality for the 382 million people living with diabetes around the world.^[1]

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While it is widely acknowledged that optimal diabetes care is best achieved by collaboration between people with diabetes, their families and healthcare teams, acute care models for diabetes treatment remain commonplace. But with 592 million people estimated to have diabetes by 2035,^[1] placing people at the centre of a healthcare system - which is designed around the person with diabetes and takes a holistic view of that individual in order for them to achieve a better quality of life - has become an urgent global priority.

Hosted by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Alliance of Patients' Organizations (IAPO) and the Steno Diabetes Center and with support from Novo Nordisk, the DAWN™ Summit brought together over 200 leading experts, policymakers, researchers, clinicians and patient advocates from more than 30 countries to discuss policies, strategies, tools and best practices needed to enable partnership action to achieve this goal.

Working together across all stakeholder groups, some of the key priorities were:

• Strengthen the voice of people with diabetes and their families locally and globally
• Build and nurture trusting relationships and communication among all stakeholder groups, including people with diabetes to drive positive change
• Ensure availability of whole-person centred and participatory self-management education for people with diabetes as well as their families
• Enact the rights of people with diabetes and their families to have a supportive and non-discriminatory environment.

President of the IDF and Chair of the summit, Sir Michael Hirst, explains: "The recently published results of the global DAWN2™ study show that people with diabetes need education and support in order to take a central role in their own care. To honour the pledge made today it is therefore our duty to engage with policymakers and healthcare providers around the world to make a lasting difference to the delivery of education, support and care for people with diabetes. Person-centred diabetes care can thereby be made a reality, thus improving the lives of millions of people globally."

During the two-day summit, participants focused on defining actionable strategies to advance access to person-centred diabetes care - which goes beyond the delivery of care by healthcare professionals to encompass employers and society at large - concentrating on the practical steps that each country must take and outlining targets and indicators for measuring progress over time at national and global levels.

Scientific outcomes of the 5^th International DAWN™ Summit will be published by the summit partner organisations in the following months.

About DAWN2™ 

DAWN2™ is a global Novo Nordisk initiative conducted in collaboration with the IDF, the International Alliance of Patients' Organizations (IAPO), the Steno Diabetes Center and a range of other national, regional and global partners. The DAWN2™ results highlight opportunities for improving diabetes care, education and community support by putting people with diabetes and their families centre stage. The DAWN2™ study will be used internationally and nationally to facilitate dialogue among patient organisations, healthcare professionals and other key stakeholders to develop action plans for improvement of the lives of people with diabetes. Further information is available at http://www.dawnstudy.com.

Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. The company also has leading positions within haemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk employs approximately 38,000 employees in 75 countries, and markets its products in more than 180 countries. For more information, visit  novonordisk.com. 

1. IDF Diabetes Atlas. International Diabetes Federation 2013. 6th edition.

SOURCE Novo Nordisk