Diabetes educators: assessment of evolving practice

A survey evaluating the professional characteristics and practice patterns of diabetes educators was distributed across the United States. The specific survey aims were to assess whether (1) there continues to be a growing trend among US health professionals who consider themselves diabetes educators to obtain certification as certified diabetes educators (CDEs), (2) duties/services associated with diabetes self-management training (DSMT) and medical/medication management differ between diabetes educators who are CDEs versus those who are non-CDEs, and (3) educator practice patterns differ across the major geographic regions of the United States. Of the 507 diabetes educators completing the survey, 83% identified themselves as CDEs. Diabetes educators responding to similar surveys done in 1992 and 1999, 51% and 63%, respectively, identified themselves as CDEs. In this survey, a similar percentage of CDEs and non-CDEs employed DSMT practices of relatively low complexity (eg, general diabetes education) whereas a significantly higher percentage (P < .001) of CDEs employed DSMT practices of relatively high complexity (eg, insulin pump training). Significantly (P < .001) more CDEs provided medical/medication management services compared to non-CDEs. Finally, the practice patterns among CDEs were minimally influenced by region of the country. These results suggest that (1) the trend toward increased certification among diabetes educators has continued, (2) certification is associated with a greater likelihood of delivering complex DSMT services and medical/medication management, and (3) this pattern is consistent across the nation as a whole.