Published: 19 January, 2026 The start of a new year often brings optimism, hope and new health goals. As you plan the year ahead, consider the wide range of tools and resources available to support your practice and people living with diabetes. These resources can help optimise health outcomes and reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications. Providing accurate and practical information NDSS Information Prescriptions are a great resource to bridge the gap between advice given during a consult and what happens at home. Information prescriptions: give people the information they need to understand and manage their diabetes. include clear explanations, clear images and practical guidance can be quickly personalised with your clients’ individual health results and goals are a helpful reference to support behaviour change outside the clinic encourage health literacy and informed decision-making. Guiding conversations For health professionals, information prescriptions offer a structured, yet flexible way to introduce key topics. They are particularly useful during annual diabetes health checks when people are already thinking about their health goals. You can use them to: educate clients about diabetes, especially those newly diagnosed guide conversations about results and goal setting encourage shared decision making individualise advice based on needs and lifestyle factors 0 create clear action plans. Available topics on the NDSS website include: blood pressure cholesterol HbA1c kidney health foot health. Reducing information overload Diabetes management is complex, ongoing, and emotionally demanding. For many people, especially those who are newly diagnosed, it can feel like a lot to take in. Information prescriptions simplify this process by presenting facts in clear, plain language. They help people understand what to do and why. For your clients, information prescriptions can: promote two-way conversations and active involvement in care help people understand diabetes-related complications support goal setting to reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications provide a reliable source of information between consults. Making these tools part of your practice Information prescriptions are a simple yet powerful tool within the broader suite of NDSS resources. Here are some suggestions about how to include them into your practice: keep the information prescriptions easily accessible during consults focus on one or two key topics for each person with diabetes personalise content with current health results ask your client what stands out to them or what they want to focus on keep a copy of the information prescription in their clinical notes follow up at their next consult by asking them how they used it. Improving long term outcomes Information prescriptions are a simple yet powerful tool within the broader suite of NDSS resources. By making information prescriptions a part of routine care, health professionals can help people with diabetes to feel more informed, confident and actively engaged in managing their health.
