The Novo Nordisk Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN) programme is based on a holistic approach to diabetes care in which the psychosocial aspects of diabetes are as important as the physical dimensions. Looking at the full spectrum of people’s needs paves the way for better management of diabetes and prevention of long-term complications of the disease.
At the DAWN Summit, delegates issued a ‘call to action’ to focus on the psychosocial aspects of diabetes.
The DAWN programme began with a ground-breaking study in 2001 which found that many people with diabetes suffer from depression and have psychological difficulties adapting to the treatment they need to undertake each day. More than half of the people with diabetes worldwide risk severe long-term complications due to inadequate support for coping with and managing their diabetes.
DAWN is part of an ongoing effort by Novo Nordisk and our partners to encourage the move towards a more holistic approach to diabetes care based on five key areas (see below). Addressing the psychological gap in diabetes care is not something one company or organisation can accomplish singlehandedly. Therefore the DAWN programme is based on building close relationships among key stakeholders in the diabetes field and a long-term commitment to improving diabetes care.
In November 2003 Novo Nordisk convened the Second International DAWN Summit in London in which some 150 decisionmakers, healthcare professionals and people with diabetes from 31 countries issued a ‘call to action’, stating that diabetes care across the world must change to take into account the huge psychological impact of diabetes.
Many of the summit participants have already put the call to action into practice. In addition, Novo Nordisk affiliates and our partners have initiated many national activities. In Poland and India, nationwide activities based on DAWN are already changing the approach to diabetes care. Activities are being started in more than 10 other countries to address the psychosocial barriers to better self-management and improved quality of life.
DAWN is integrated in other aspects of our business too. We consider the psychological burden of living with diabetes when developing our products and devices. In addition, we set and achieved a target that 80% of Novo Nordisk employees in relevant business areas were to meet a person with diabetes to talk about the DAWN findings. By the end of 2003, 6,745 employees (88%) had done so.
In our quest to pursue the most promising ways of preventing and treating diabetes and improving the quality of life of people with diabetes, the psychosocial aspects of diabetes will continue to shape our approach.
The DAWN programme is based on the largest global survey of the psychosocial aspects of diabetes to date, involving more than 5,000 people with diabetes and 3,800 healthcare professionals 13 countries. It is a global Novo Nordisk initiative in collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation and an expert advisory panel. For more information, visit dawnstudy.com.
DAWN is part of an ongoing effort by Novo Nordisk and our partners to encourage the move towards a more holistic approach to diabetes care based on five key areas. We will:
enhance communication between people with diabetes and healthcare professionals
promote communication and coordination between healthcare professionals
promote active self-management
reduce barriers to effective therapy
enable better psychological care for people with diabetes.
