Diabetes in Mental Health
People living with diabetes need to manage their condition on everyday basis to stay well and avoid complications from diabetes. When they come in contact with mental health services, their mental health problems take priority and their needs related to diabetes (e.g. medication, diet, exercise) may be overlooked.
This is why it is important to explore if healthcare professionals in mental health services check if a patient has diabetes and if yes, if this information is used to support both mental health and physical health needs of the patient.
This study is the first step in answering this question and it aims to check if we can use information in the electronic health records to better understand what happens to patients who have diabetes on top of their mental illness (for example if treatment is altered, appropriate recommendations made).