Who Is on Your Care Team

Most people with diabetes start with a primary care doctor. This doctor looks after your overall health. They can send you to other team members.

A diabetes educator teaches daily self-care, like healthy eating and being active. A registered dietitian, a food expert, helps plan meals that fit your life.

Bindu holds a folder across from three smiling people: a primary care doctor with a stethoscope, a dietitian holding an apple and a pharmacist holding a pill bottle. For each topic, a note flies from the folder to the right person, whose name badge shows. That person turns green and hands back a sheet with a tick. Overall health goes to the primary care doctor, who can send you to others. Meals that fit your life go to the dietitian. Medicine questions go to the pharmacist, who explains labels.

Diabetes can affect your eyes, feet and mouth. An eye doctor checks the back of your eyes for changes. A foot specialist, called a podiatrist, checks your feet and skin. A dentist checks your teeth and gums.

Your doctor can tell you when each of these checks should happen for you.

A figure of a person where taps on the eyes, feet and mouth show who checks each one.

You do not need to meet every team member at once. Your team can grow over time, like meeting new neighbors one at a time.

A pharmacist answers medicine questions and explains labels. A counselor can join when stress builds. Add people as your needs show up.

Steps that add team members one at a time, guided by your doctor, including a counselor when stress builds.

Key takeaways

• Your primary care doctor is often your first stop.
• Each team member focuses on one part of your care.
• You do not need every visit at once, and a team can grow slowly.

Try it

Write down the team members you already see, and one you would like to learn more about.