Embedding behavioural health in diabetes care

Every day, people with type-1 diabetes (T1D) self-manage their health and wellbeing to avoid complications of this lifelong autoimmune condition. This ongoing burden can impact their psychological wellbeing and reduce their ability for self-care, leading to lowered health and quality of life outcomes.

Research undertaken by The University of Western Australia (UWA) PhD candidate Jennifer Nicholas and supervised by Dr Melanie Burkhardt (FSH/UWA), Professor Bu Yeap (FSH/UWA) and Professor Donna Cross (UWA), hopes to better support and empower people with T1D to navigate the challenges of living with this condition.

Early stages of the project involved surveying over 100 FSH diabetes clinic outpatients. The partnership between research team members and the T1D community was integral to the work and enriched understanding and interpretation of the data collected. The data has shaped the design, implementation and evaluation of an alternative consultation approach delivered by specialist diabetes educators.

Pictured (from left): Jennifer Nicholas, team members Leontine Jefferson and Jack Buttress, and Melanie Burkhardt.

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