Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) Practice Exam

What aggregate patient outcomes must be tracked as part of DSMES program recognition?

1. Patient attendance at educational appointments

2. Overall patient A1c changes before and after education

3. Percentage of patients achieving behavioral goals

4. The ADA and ADCES do not specify required outcomes

The correct answer is: The ADA and ADCES do not specify required outcomes

The aggregate patient outcomes tracked as part of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) program recognition are vital for evaluating the effectiveness of these educational interventions. While the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) do provide guidelines for DSMES programs, they do not explicitly dictate a set of required outcomes that all programs must track as a prerequisite for recognition. Instead, they encourage programs to assess a range of patient-specific outcomes such as attendance at educational sessions, changes in A1c levels, and the achievement of behavioral goals. However, the flexibility in these requirements means that the programs can determine which outcomes are most relevant for their specific patient populations. Thus, the absence of a federally mandated standard makes it accurate to say that the ADA and ADCES do not specify required outcomes, allowing DSMES programs to tailor their metrics to best address the needs and goals of the individuals they serve. This autonomy supports diverse patient populations and unique program capacities.