Endocrine Abstracts

Despite advances in therapies and healthcare, the prevalence of diabetes has reached epidemic proportions with increasing numbers of children and their families affected.

The psychological and psychosocial challenges facing families in living with the burden of diabetes are immense and have a direct and detrimental impact on their ability to achieve optimal glycaemic control. A paradigm shift away from a purely medical model to a greater emphasis on psychosocial aspects of diabetes has been advocated for several years to improve outcomes however a vision of what that actually looks like in routine clinical practice remains opaque.

This presentation will cover some of the challenges faced by children with diabetes and their families, the underlying reasons for these challenges and the consequences. Furthermore, it will present an alternative model of care that encompasses the psychosocial aspects of diabetes and ongoing research to implementation in routine care.