title: Painful diabetic neuropathy--providing the best patient service.
abstract: Painful diabetic neuropathy is just one of a myriad of secondary conditions that may result from poor glycaemic control. Educating the patient to suspect diabetic complications, understanding why they may occur, what their progression is likely to be and what measures can be taken to avoid them can significantly improve outcomes. Education within the diabetes management framework needs to be consistent, prioritised, tailored to the needs of each patient and ongoing in order to be maximally effective, with tight glycaemic control playing the anchoring central role. The specialist diabetes nurse is in the ideal situation to coordinate this education and to ensure that the patient with diabetes receives the care and support needed to take dual responsibility for their condition.
authors.affiliation: Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist-Diabetes, Winchester Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester, Hampshire, UK.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Head
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D059408:Pain Management; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D016540:Smoking Cessation
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose