Who's on Your Health Care Team?
What do you think of when you hear the word team? Do you think of a group of people working together toward a common goal, each with a special talent or skill? A health care team works like this too.
No matter what type of diabetes you have, it affects many parts of your life. You can get help from health professionals trained to focus on different areas, from head to toe. A health care team helps you use the health care system to its fullest.
Your Health Care Team
In centers that focus on diabetes care, health care professionals often already work as a team. Sometimes, your primary diabetes doctor (internist, family practice doctor, or endocrinologist) will refer you to other health care providers in the same clinic or a building nearby. Or you may need to work with your doctor to build a health care team, adding members as the need arises. Who do you need on your team?
Other Specialists
As your health care needs change, you may need to add other members to your team. If you plan a pregnancy, for example, you will need to bring an obstetrician onto your team. If you have blood flow problems in your legs or feet, you may need the help of a vascular surgeon. Your primary care doctor can help find the specialist you need and work with you and that specialist to coordinate your care.
Visiting Your Health Care Team
The American Diabetes Association provides standards of medical care for people with diabetes. These guidelines give the most up-to-date information on taking care of your diabetes. Also, the guidelines let you know what to expect from your doctor and health care team.
The First Visit
Your first visit to a doctor who will treat your diabetes should have four parts. Learn what those parts are.
Future Visits
How often you should return to your diabetes doctor depends on many things. Learn what those things are in this section.
Visits for Children and Teens
Standards of care for children are somewhat different. Children whose diabetes is not well controlled sometimes are slow to grow and mature.
Ask the Pharmacist
The American Diabetes Association and Rite Aid "Ask the Pharmacist" area is where you can ask a pharmacist a question to help you manage your diabetes. Rite Aid and the ADA have partnered to allow you to access to Rite Aid's Drug Information Center from our Web site.
