Elevating the voices of patients
Committed to improving the lives of people with diabetes, Air Liquide has partnered with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Europe to engage stakeholders in developing a patient-centered care ecosystem and inspire policy change that will transform the future of people living with diabetes.
IDF Europe aims to advocate on all levels for those with diabetes. How do you do this?
A big part of our work is to raise visibility and awareness about diabetes, which currently affects more than 32 million Europeans. We do this through information campaigns as well as advocating for policy change at the national and European levels. In November 2022, we celebrated a major achievement when a new resolution on the prevention, management and better care of diabetes was adopted by the European Parliament. We worked together with Air Liquide Healthcare teams, people living with diabetes and other diabetes stakeholders on a campaign that engaged policymakers to get this resolution passed, highlighting what you can achieve if you have strong political will and science working together.
What should the future of diabetes care look like?
Care needs to shift from being disease-focused to person-focused. Patient empowerment is critical to helping people self-manage their condition. Thanks to companies like Air Liquide Healthcare, recent years have seen huge advancements in using unique combinations of human support, digital tools and devices to provide the right support for each patient, with the objective of improving both health outcomes and quality of life. Personalized care plans are really an investment that could prevent long-term complications.
Are things moving in the right direction?
I’m optimistic, as stakeholders are starting to see the importance of smoother, personalized care pathways. Our shared goal is to reduce the burden of living with the disease.