Patients managing diabetes can now get full diagnostics, treatment and education in one place — the Washington University Diabetes Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
The Diabetes Center, on the 13th floor of the Center for Advanced Medicine, will provide a new group-care and patient-education approach for patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, says Garry Tobin, M.D., associate professor of medicine and medical director of the center. In addition, long-time and newly diagnosed patients will have access to the latest technology, treatments and clinical research. Through individualized instruction and small-group sessions on topics including nutritional counseling, carbohydrate counting, insulin self-management and insulin pumps, patients will learn how to maintain better control of their blood sugar.
Patients with diabetes can get an annual “tune up,” which includes a retinal scan, lab work, blood pressure check, urinalysis, foot exam and a self-management assessment. Patients will receive a summary of the results and a tailored care plan.
Along with Tobin, the staff will include American Diabetes Association-certified nurse educators, registered dietitians, advanced-practice-ADA-certified nurses, a clinical nurse manager and support staff as well as other physician members of the Diabetes Center.
“The Diabetes Center is a way for primary care physicians and their patients to get support from endocrinologists and other allied health specialists in diabetes treatment,” says Tobin. “Patients can seek services from an institution recognized as a national leader in the area and from specialists who can manage complex cases or complications as a team with their referring physician.”
The Diabetes Center’s staff is also developing and implementing inpatient protocols for newly diagnosed or long-term patients with diabetes to help get or maintain diabetes control when admitted to Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
“We’ve tapped into the brainpower of a panel of medical advisors representing the power and skills of both Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital to develop these inpatient protocols,” Tobin says. “The support of the dedicated and terrific nursing staff has made this process a success for the center as well as for patient care.”
The St. Louis area has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the nation, and one-quarter of patients admitted to Barnes-Jewish Hospital have a diabetes-related diagnosis, Tobin said. Nationally, 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7 percent of the population, have diabetes, although nearly one-third don’t know that they have the disease.
For more information or to make an appointment, call 867-3627 (TOP-DOCS).
Washington University School of Medicine’s full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.