For the millions of veterans with diabetes, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) are implementing new guidelines calling for the patient, their family, and their health care team to share information and decisions. A Shared Decision Making (SDM) encounter occurs when the patient, his loved ones and the health care team discuss together what treatment options best address the patient's goals. In 2017, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense recognized the important role SDM plays in managing diabetes when they updated their Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Care. For more information, visit the VA VAntage Point Blog.

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