The art of diabetes care: guidelines for a holistic approach to human and social factors

A holistic approach to diabetes considers patient preferences, emotional health, living conditions, and other contextual factors, in ad-dition to medication selection. Human and social factors influence treatment adherence and clinical outcomes. Social issues, cost of care, out-of-pocket expenses, pill burden (number and frequency), and injectable drugs such as insulin, can affect adherence. Clini-cians can ask about these contextual factors when discussing treatment options with patients. Patients' emotional health can also af-fect diabetes self-care. Social stressors such as family issues may impair self-care behaviors. Diabetes can also lead to emotional stress. Diabetes distress correlates with worse glycemic control and lower overall well-being. Patient-centered communication can build the foundation of a trusting relationship with the clinician. Respect for patient preferences and fears can build trust. Relevant communication skills include asking open-ended questions, expressing empathy, active listening, and exploring the patient's perspec-tive. Glycemic goals must be personalized based on frailty, the risk of hypoglycemia, and healthy life expectancy. Lifestyle counseling requires a nonjudgmental approach and tactfulness. The art of diabetes care rests on clinicians perceiving a patient's emotional state. Tailoring the level of advice and diabetes targets based on a patient's personal and contextual factors requires mindfulness by clini-cians.