Diabetes self-management amid COVID-19 pandemic

Background and aims COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the physician-centered approach of diabetes care in India that is primarily based on routine clinic visits. We aim to review the various aspects of patient-centered care via diabetes self-management education based on available literature. Methods This is a narrative review using Pubmed, EMBASE and Google Scholar search till March 29, 2020. Search terms were “COVID-19”, “diabetes self-care”, “diabetes self-management education”, “DSME”, “diabetes self-management in India”, “diabetes self-care in India” and “DSME in India”. Results We have discussed an educational plan on diabetes self-management that can be adopted for people with diabetes mellitus in our country amid the ongoing pandemic. We have also identified the barriers to diabetes self-management in the current scenario and suggested possible solutions to overcome those. Conclusions We have reemphasized the need for a simultaneous patient-centered approach in routine diabetes care that has to be coordinated by a multidisciplinary team amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights • Simultaneous patient-centered approach via diabetes self-management education (DSME) is essential in routine diabetes care. • During pandemic, DSME should focus on diet, exercise, medication adherence, hypoglycemia prevention and healthy coping. • Multidisciplinary team based DSME system can overcome the current barriers amid COVID-19 pandemic.