GCDTR patient-facing planning aid
Patient Care Standards Conversation Guide
A plain-language guide for study teams, clinics, and community partners preparing conversations about type 2 diabetes care and self-management support.
Three Conversation Pillars
Medical support
Discuss glucose goals, medicines, monitoring, complications, vaccines, mental health, and care team roles.
Healthy eating
Discuss food access, meal patterns, carbohydrates, labels, cultural preferences, and realistic nutrition goals.
Physical activity
Discuss movement preferences, safety, barriers, daily routines, and gradual progress toward activity goals.
Questions Patients Can Bring to Visits
- What are my current glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney, eye, and foot health priorities?
- What is my A1C goal, and how should I understand my most recent result?
- What should I do if I have low blood glucose or symptoms that worry me?
- How do my medicines work, and what should I do if cost or side effects make them hard to take?
- What eating or activity changes would make the biggest difference for me this month?
- What diabetes education, nutrition, mental health, or community resources can I use?
Research Use Notes
- Use these questions in participant navigation scripts, shared decision-making tools, or pre-visit planning workflows.
- Assess whether participants understand their care plan, know who to contact, and can identify at least one next step.
- Track barriers that affect self-management, including affordability, food access, transportation, technology, language, and trust.
- Adapt examples with community advisors and clinical partners before using them in an intervention.