Overcoming barriers to diabetic polyneuropathy management in primary care

Diabetic polyneuropathy is a highly prevalent and costly complication of diabetes that is frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated in primary care settings. In this article, we discuss challenges in the management of diabetic polyneuropathy symptoms, including diagnostic complexity, the limited efficacy and high side effect rates associated with available treatments and the time constrained primary care visit. We call for the development of novel patient-centric, system-level strategies that engage patients between physician visits in order to facilitate timely communication of symptoms and treatment response and to promote patient-centered care.