Diabetes Care Program of Nova Scotia
The Diabetes Care Program of Nova Scotia (DCPNS) is responsible for supporting integrated approaches to the prevention and management of diabetes across the province for Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health. DCPNS is a program of the Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease Management Network at Nova Scotia Health.
Diabetes Centres
An interdisciplinary team including certified diabetes educators (nurses and dietitians) work with community primary care providers and an extended care team to provide a variety of programs and services for patients living with Diabetes.
Services may vary by community, but frequently include:
- Managing the emotional impact of diabetes, both for patients and family members;
- Self-management group education programs;
- Individual counselling (nutrition, physical activity, medical management);
- Blood glucose monitoring;
- Medication management;
- Insulin initiation, adjustments and follow-up;
- Insulin pump and pre-pump training, and;
- Links to community resources.
To learn more about diabetes centres, click here.
Vision | Mandate | Services
History | Key Performance Indicators
NS Insulin Pump Education Day
Patient Education Packages | Website
OUR VISION
Working together, all Nova Scotians living with, affected by, or at risk of developing diabetes are supported to live their healthiest life.
OUR MANDATE
- Standardize high-quality diabetes care in Nova Scotia’s Diabetes Centres
- Support integrated approaches to the prevention and management of diabetes
- Advise on service delivery models
- Support diabetes health care providers to adopt clinical practice guidelines
- Monitor and share diabetes-related information for Nova Scotia
- Program Evaluation
- Quality Improvement
- Research
- Surveillance
OUR SERVICES
- Access to local, regional, and provincial diabetes data, as well as data analysis support and reporting
- Access to new knowledge and knowledge translation (including certification for insulin dose adjustment)
- Diabetes Centre grants to support quality improvement
- Diabetes expertise, including program planning and evaluation
- Enhanced networking across and between programs and provider groups
- Practice supports for special populations and co-morbidities
- Provincial policy and procedures
- Standardized documentation and referral forms
OUR HISTORY
Established in 1991, the Diabetes Care Program of Nova Scotia (DCPNS) started as one of 9 Provincial Programs funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.
In its early years, the DCPNS was tasked with standardizing and optimizing the care delivered through Diabetes Centres across the province. This was accomplished through the development of standardized documentation forms for the adult, pediatric, and pregnant populations; development of guideline documents/recommended practice approaches; creation of knowledge transfer/exchange opportunities; as well as implementation of the DCPNS Registry and a common statistics-keeping framework. Efforts have been focused on building and maintaining expertise at the local level (as close to home as possible) where people with diabetes live, work, and play.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Click here for Diabetes Care Program of Nova Scotia 2022-2027 Action Plan overview.
Click here for Diabetes Care Program of Nova Scotia KPI Framework: Optimizing Diabetes Care for Nova Scotians.
