Awareness Starts with You

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that more than 20 million adults and children in the United States have diabetes. If the prevalence of diabetes in the United States isn't overwhelming enough, the worldwide figures are even more alarming. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that worldwide, the disease currently affects 246 million people and is expected to cause 3.8 million deaths in 2007--roughly the equivalent of the mortality associated with HIV/AIDS. By 2025, the IDF estimates the number of people with diabetes will rise to 380 million.

In addition to its devastating human effects, the disease is wreaking havoc on families and national economies. New data underscoring the growing incidence of serious complications from type 2 diabetes and the economic impact of those complications in America prompted a warning from Paddy Rossbach, RN, CEO of the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), about "an epidemic of health complications from diabetes" .

She is not alone in her concern. Roger Marzano, CPO, CPed, vice president of Clinical Services, Yanke Bionics Clinics Inc., Akron, Ohio, and past president of the Pedorthic Footwear Association (PFA), makes a point about the need, in general, for the medical profession to be more proactive when it comes to educating patients about the complications associated with diabetes in Sherry Metzger's article, "Diabetic Patient Care: Education+Teamwork=Rx for Success." As an example, Marzano cites the wonderful strides that have been made in breast and lung cancer awareness.

Raising awareness can be as simple as talking with one patient every day or as broad as taking part in a national or global awareness campaign. In 1991, the IDF and the World Health Organization (WHO) established World Diabetes Day, with the goal of coordinating diabetes advocacy worldwide. Since then it has become the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes community, bringing together "millions of people in over 150 countries including opinion leaders, healthcare professionals, caregivers, people with diabetes, and the general public," according to the World Diabetes Day website.

Last year, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a Resolution "recognizing diabetes as a chronic, debilitating, and costly disease." The Resolution designates World Diabetes Day as a United Nations Day to be observed every year on November 14, starting in 2007.

How do you educate your patients about the complications associated with diabetes? Send an e-mail to me at karen@opedge.com and tell me about your approach to diabetic patient care. We may print your comments in a future issue of The O&P EDGE.

For more information about the International Diabetes Federation, visit www.idf.org ; for more information about World Diabetes Day, visit www.worlddiabetesday.org

Table Of Contents - June 2007

	Diabetic Patient Care: Education+Teamwork = Rx for Success Feature
	Is Offering Diabetic Shoes a Good Fit for Your Practice? Feature
	Effectiveness of Splinting on Hammertoe Feature
	Surf or Shower Feature
	O&P Outcomes Initiative Is Launched Perspective
	Rick Cavens, Ken Cook, Jeff Hancock, and Dan Stone: 'Team Rebuild' Inspires at Pole Pedal Paddle Today's Consumer
	Socket Can Be Fabricated, Modified, Fitted—in One Hour Innovations
	Sports News Sports
	Five Questions for Preston K. Watts Jr., CPO Face to Face
	ACA Conference Kicks off a Summer of Parity Events Progress on Parity
	Got FAQs Got FAQs?
	Letters to the Editor Letters
	Awareness Starts with You Viewpoint