Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: building a stronger and more resilient diabetes ecosystem.

We will not remain idle waiting for the second wave or the next pandemic!

Disruptions caused by the current pandemic, such as restrictive lockdown measures, modified living conditions and inadequate access to care have placed a huge burden on people living with diabetes. Recent studies have also demonstrated that people living with diabetes are at higher risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19 and figures sadly tend to indicate that people living with diabetes having contracted the disease are more likely to be hospitalised, with potentially, worse outcomes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in healthcare systems across Europe and lessons must now be drawn to start building a stronger and more resilient diabetes ecosystem.

To map the challenges faced by people living with diabetes and their relatives/carers, but also to help uncover the innovative actions and solutions which were implemented during the crisis, IDF Europe is launching two surveys to get the views and perspectives from people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals. The surveys are currently available in 18 languages from the links below. Additional languages will be available soon.

Your input, as a person living with diabetes, healthcare professional and/or diabetes association, is key to allow us to act and develop a set of policy recommendations that we will present to national and pan-European policymakers and other relevant diabetes stakeholders, to:

• Prepare healthcare systems and the diabetes community to better address a potential second wave of COVID-19 and other health emergencies in the future;
• Use the experiences of people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 crisis to achieve lasting systemic change in the way diabetes care is organised and deployed;
• Ensure that diabetes remains a high priority for policymakers and health professionals at all times.

We thank all those who have contributed to the development of the surveys and all diabetes associations that have kindly accepted to translate them.