Apple Magazine - Fall 2018

The South Calgary PCN has dedicated resources to engage the community in creating more health programs, services and partnerships.

Specialized diabetes care in the community

The Mosaic PCN sees more than

10,000 appointments annually for diabetes management. It’s identified northeast Calgary as an underserviced area for diabetes patients. Some require complex diabetes care, and so the Diabetes Optimization Team was created to bridge that gap. Made up of diabetes educators—pharmacists, nurses and dietitians with specialized endocrinology training—the team provides specialized care to patients in the community.

Specialized care includes
“advanced carb counting, complex
insulin regimens, optimizing oral
medications and helping the
patient manage the psychosocial
demands of diabetes management,”
Jackie Liu, the pharmacist who
created the Diabetes Optimization
Team, realized the community had
specific patient needs. “They didn’t
want to use specialists because they
didn’t want to drive all over the city.
Also, we needed to have sensitivity
to social determinants. If you get
your food from the food bank, you
can only adjust your diet so much.”
Some clients have difficulty following
complex medical instructions.

“A PCN diabetes educator can go over them repeatedly, and provide the steady consistent hand and patience needed,” explains Liu. “Other clients are reluctant to change their lifestyles, but we can still help them avoid a hospital stay. Ultimately, the Diabetes Optimization Team brings some harm-reduction principles mixed with the management of complex medical needs, carried out at the patient’s level.”