Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2014

TLDR

Diabetes is a chronic disease requiring ongoing medical care and patient education to prevent acute and long‑term complications, and evidence‑based interventions address many aspects beyond glycemic control, though individual goals may be tailored and specialist evaluation remains possible. These standards of care are intended to provide clinicians, patients, researchers, payors, and others with components of diabetes care, treatment goals, and tools to evaluate quality of care. For more detailed information, refer to references 1‑3.

Abstract

Diabetes is a chronic illness that requires continuing medical care and patient self-management education to prevent acute complications and to reduce the risk of long-term complications. Diabetes care is complex and requires that many issues, beyond glycemic control, be addressed. A large body of evidence exists that supports a range of interventions to improve diabetes outcomes. These standards of care are intended to provide clinicians, patients, researchers, payors, and other interested individuals with the components of diabetes care, treatment goals, and tools to evaluate the quality of care. While individual preferences, comorbidities, and other patient factors may require modification of goals, targets that are desirable for most patients with diabetes are provided. These standards are not intended to preclude more extensive evaluation and management of the patient by other specialists as needed. For more detailed information, refer to references 1‐3.