2022 National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support

By the most recent estimates, 34.2 million people in the U.S. have diabetes.¹ At the same time, 88 million people are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The U.S. also sees an increasing prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents.² Thus, more than 122 million Americans are at risk of developing devastating complications associated with chronic hyperglycemia.¹ Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is a critical element of care for all people with diabetes (PWD). “The purpose of DSMES is to give PWD the knowledge, skills, and confidence to accept responsibility for their self-management. This includes collaborating with their healthcare team, making informed decisions, solving problems, developing personal goals and action plans, and coping with emotions and life stresses.”³ DSMES interventions include activities that support PWD to implement and sustain the self-management behaviors and strategies to improve diabetes and related cardiometabolic conditions and quality of life on an ongoing basis. Despite progress in diabetes treatment modalities, glycemic and cardiometabolic outcomes continue to decline in the U.S.⁴ Now, more than ever, the provision of DSMES is a vital component of the full treatment for diabetes.