Diabetes Dialogue: Mental Health and PRO Standardization, with Katharine Barnard-Kelly, PhD

The annual conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) is no stranger to ground-breaking work and initiatives. Considered by many the foremost international meeting on diabetes technologies, the meeting also serves as an opportunity for collaboration among leaders on other aspects of diabetes management, including the role of psychology and mental health.

This type of collaboration is what Katharine Barnard-Kelly, PhD, professor of Health Psychology with Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, sought out at this year’s conference. At present, Barnard-Kelly is leading an effort to develop a consensus statement on the standardization of person-reported outcomes (PROs) to improve the mental and physical health of people with diabetes in both pediatric and adult populations. The consensus statement, which has yet to have been finalized, was the subject of a symposium at ATTD 2023 in Berlin, Germany, which was led by Barnard-Kelly and Frank Snoek, PhD, director of the diabetes psychology research and care team at Amsterdam University Medical Center.

Recognizing the increasing emphasis on psychology and mental health in diabetes management as well as an interest in learning more about her work and the statement itself, the hosts of Diabetes Dialogue: Technology, Therapeutics, and Real-World Perspectives Diana Isaacs, PharmD, an endocrine clinical pharmacist and CGM program coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, an endocrine nurse practitioner with R&B Medical Group, sat down with Barnard-Kelly during their time at ATTD 2023.