DAWN2 Study, continuing to highlight the psychosocial needs of people with diabetes and their families
When I first started Diabetes Counselling Online in 2001, the world was starting to recognise the important gaps in care for people with diabetes when it came to the psychosocial needs and impact of diabetes. The DAWN study brought this to the limelight, asking people with diabetes and their health care providers about their “Diabetes Attitudes Wishes and Needs”(DAWN) and highlighting the missing links between what we know people with diabetes need and what they actually get, when it comes to psychosocial support.
Despite the progress made since the original DAWN study in 2001, the impact of the psychosocial burden of diabetes is still not fully recognised. That is why we do what we do here, focusing on the psychosocial needs of people with diabetes and their families, rather than it being an add on – it is what we are all about.
The DAWN2 Study understands that many people with diabetes still face significant challenges in areas including self-management, sticking to self care plans, access to support and involvement in their own care. It would appear that the acute model of health care, where the system is the “expert” and takes the reins, has still not been able to fully incorporate a person centred approach where people with diabetes truly drive their own care and the health care provide encourage people with diabetes to self-manage their condition. All this is happening while the internet and social media is opening up unprecedented opportunities for social support and empowerment. At Diabetes Counselling Online we have certainly seen an explosion across the internet from when we started as one of the only services offering support to people in this way.
DAWN2 calls for collaborative action across countries to improve self-management and psychosocial support. It also calls for a deeper understanding of the psychosocial issues and unmet needs experienced by people with diabetes, as well as the barriers and facilitators to person-centred chronic care from the point of view of the different stakeholders.
As a response to these challenges and opportunities, a network of international experts and organisations, in partnership with and supported by Novo Nordisk, initiated the DAWN2™ study in 2011. The study builds on the experience gained by researchers in the behavioural and psychological sciences since the first DAWN™ study in 2001.
DAWN2™ is a global study conducted in collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Alliance of Patient Organizations (IAPO), the Steno Diabetes Center and a range of other national, regional and global partners.
The three main objectives of the DAWN2™ study initiative are to:
- advance understanding and awareness of the unmet needs of people with diabetes and their families
- facilitate dialogue and collaboration to strengthen patient involvement and improve self-management and psychosocial support in diabetes care
- establish a multi-national scientific benchmarking system for person-centred diabetes care and health policy
DAWN2™ is a long-term commitment and an on-going initiative with the aim of inspiring new, sustainable ways to enable the millions of people with diabetes around the world to live full, healthy lives and be actively involved in managing their own health and quality of life. DAWN2™ represents the voice of more than 15,000 people living with or caring for persons with diabetes in 17 countries across 4 continents.
Read more about the study here
The American Diabetes Association annual congress is happening now and you can follow the hashtag #DAWN2 for up to date highlights about the results
Watch this space as we will be getting as involved as we can in the next steps to make sure our model of working with people living with diabetes and their families through an online approach, is included
Helen