Adjusting to change

摘要

'We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails' (anon.). On a recent visit to Dubai, I had the privilege to present to 50 diabetes nurses on the challenges of behaviour modification in people with type 2 diabetes. We debated the changing trends of public health, the rise of chronic disease, the need for people to be responsible for their own diabetes,and the diabetes care continuum. We spoke of diabetes advocacy and the need for professional clout when facing the huge global challenges of obesity and sedentary lifestyle. We also raised the point that in the past, health professionals may not have been the best people to assist patients to self-manage and modify lifestyles.