Time Needed for Diabetes Self-Care: Nationwide Survey of Certified Diabetes Educators

PURPOSE. To approximate the time required for self-care of individuals with diabetes, as estimated by certified diabetes educators (CDEs). METHODS. A survey was sent to the CDE member list of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). The survey asked the CDEs to estimate the time in minutes/day needed for 1) each component of diabetes self-care and 2) all components of diabetes management as recommended by the American Diabetes Association and AADE. Estimates were for two sample patients: 1) an adult with type 2 diabetes (for at least 1 year) on oral medications who performs self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) twice daily and 2) a school-age child with established type 1 diabetes (for at least 1 year) who takes four insulin injections per day and has SMBG four times daily. RESULTS. A total of 674 CDEs completed and returned the survey. The mean times needed for an adult with type 2 diabetes for routine, daily diabetes self-management and for all recommended components of self-care were estimated to be 66 and 234 minutes, respectively. The mean times needed for a child with type 1 diabetes for routine, daily diabetes self-management and for all recommended components of self-care were estimated to be 78 and 305 minutes, respectively. CONCLUSION. The total estimated time needed daily for recommended diabetes self-care was ~4 hours for adults and >5 hours for children—far more than is reasonably feasible for most people with diabetes. This information should be considered when helping patients with diabetes achieve self-care goals.