Your Diabetes Annual Cycle Of Care

The diabetes annual cycle of care from NDSS is a checklist for reviewing your diabetes management and general health. Your general practitioner will do this review to help you and your diabetes health care team manage your diabetes, and reduce your risk of diabetes-related complications. It’s important to do this to identify concerns early and discuss treatment with your doctor and diabetes health professionals. Without regular checks, diabetes can lead to complications that can affect your whole body, including your kidneys, eyes, feet, nerves and heart.

GET WITH THE PLAN

By providing an organised, written approach to your care, a GP management plan can help you manage your diabetes well. These plans allow you to receive a Medicare rebate when seeing health professionals, such as CDEs, dietitians, podiatrists and exercise physiologists. For more information about GP management plans, talk to your GP, CDE or practice nurse.

THE ANNUAL CYCLE OF CARE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HEALTH CHECKS:

HbA1c

This blood test reflects your average blood glucose level over the last 10-12 weeks. This should be done at least every 6-12 months, or more often if required. The general recommendation is to aim for a reading of 53mmol/mol (7%) or less. HbA1c targets can be different for different groups so it’s important to discuss your individual HbA1c target with your doctor or credentialled diabetes educator (CDE).

Blood pressure

Your GP or practice nurse should be checking your blood pressure at every visit or at least every six months. As a general guide, the target for people with diabetes is 130/80 or less. If you have existing cardiovascular or kidney disease, your doctor will advise you on a blood pressure target to meet your individual health needs. Research has shown that keeping blood pressure on target decreases the risk of stroke, heart, kidney and eye disease, and nerve damage.

Foot assessment