What Coping Strategies are Recommended for Patients with Diabetes Distress?

In this video, Kathryn Kreider, DNP, FNP-BC, BC-ADM, from Duke University, shares coping strategies that help patients overcome diabetes distress.

Kathryn Kreider:There’s a lot of work about specific types of strategies that are most helpful. We know that education that directly addresses poor coping can be helpful. So, helping patients problem solve is a really big one, because we know that regimen distress is significant. Helping identify what the key problems are, and helping them to develop how they approach these problems, can help them with coping, because they feel like they more self-efficacy, that they have more control over their diabetes. So, coping is really a key part of that, and some patients may need to be referred to a mental health provider who can provide more complex treatment to them. All of us as providers can be mindful about coping and the need to have effective coping to address diabetes distress.