On November 14, on the occasion of World Diabetes Day, a new study from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) revealed that 43% of the people in the country do not receive adequate information and education about diabetes when they are first diagnosed with it. The study also revealed that every 1 in 3 individuals (31%) do not receive regular education from their healthcare provider, while every 1 in 5 diabetic individuals feel that they do not have access to diabetes education.

The agency reported that 66% of the patients in the country stated that the appointment for a checkup takes less than 15 minutes. They noted that 15 minutes is not an adequate time length to discuss treatment and educate the patient on a diet and exercise regimen. Meanwhile, 42% of patients do not have in-person or online consultations with a diabetes educator, nurse, or dietitian to receive additional information to help manage their condition. The study suggested that 33% of patients turn to Google and 29% of patients turn to social media for diabetes education, respectively.

Additionally, the findings of the study revealed that 44% of healthcare professionals have to self-fund all their diabetes education. Further, every 1 in 5 healthcare professionals felt that they did not have access to educational tools that could be passed on to their patients for diabetes management.

Hence, the international agency has predicted that the number of people living with diabetes in India will have surpassed 92 million.