Living with diabetes: a practical guide to managing your health

OVERALL RATING Excellent

STRENGTHS Readable; solution focused; very good question-and-answer vignettes included in most chapters; contains many practical tips

WEAKNESSES None

AUDIENCE Canadians living with diabetes and their support networks

Living with Diabetes aims to present a practical and comprehensive guide to Canadians living with diabetes. Guides targeted at patient populations, rather than at health care professionals, should present solid evidence in a manner that can be easily understood by the range of people suffering from the illness. Guides should also contain helpful advice and provide solutions to the day-to-day issues that might reasonably be experienced. This book, published in cooperation with the Canadian Diabetes Association, certainly meets these criteria.

Divided into 6 sections, the book deals with the main issues confronting diabetes patients and also provides invaluable information for members of their support networks. The book is written in non-technical language and contains colour illustrations, which enhance the book’s readability. Practical tips are found in every section; these tips should complement and confirm information that is provided by physicians and other health care professionals.

I was particularly impressed by the question-and-answer vignettes included in nearly every chapter. The questions are similar to those that patients pose daily in clinical practice settings, and the answers are direct and unambiguous. Although the book is clearly geared directly to those living with diabetes, it provides physicians with an opportunity to experience the daily challenges and frustrations of diabetes through patients’ eyes. Living with Diabetes avoids the usual pitfalls of this type of book because it is, first and foremost, solution focused. I believe that even the most sophisticated reader will learn something from this book.

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