During a system upgrade from Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 7, the AAFP website, on-demand courses and CME purchases will be unavailable.
AAFP type 1 diabetes framework charts ‘a way forward’
Nov. 12, 2025, News Staff—A new clinician framework from the AAFP takes the isolation out of type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis and intervention, with tools that include an innovative way to help members build community around this health challenge.
“The Academy has put together a powerful new set of tools for members to lead against type 1 diabetes where they are,” said Ryan Lester, AAFP vice president of Education and Health of the Public and Science.
The tools, unveiled to coincide with World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14, include
- new familydoctor.org materials that bolster patient conversations; and
- the AAFP Framework for Community and Clinical Integration of Type 1 Diabetes Screening, designed to empower family physicians to organize and lead educational workshops for community stakeholders.
It’s an urgent fight. Type 1 diabetes—which in the United States afflicts about 1.3 million adults and 198,000 children, and is often diagnosed and managed by family physicians—is on the rise.
But early detection of T1D can be difficult. A disease that has historically been most diagnosed in children now affects more older U.S. adults, particularly adults who have no family diabetes history. At the same time, physicians say systemic barriers and a lack of standardized screening protocols can make it harder to identify at-risk individuals.
“Community members, on the other hand, face personal and financial barriers,” Lester said. “Many are unaware that early detection is even possible, and those who are aware worry about the cost of screening and follow-up care. This is where policy, practice and community outreach must intersect.”
A ‘turnkey’ framework to fight T1D at the local level
“The clinical goal of this initiative is to raise awareness about T1D screening and disease symptoms, and make T1D follow-up care and disease management seamless for family physicians and their patients,” Lester said.
Unlike type 2 diabetes, which develops gradually and has established screening protocols, T1D is an autoimmune disease that can manifest suddenly at any age. Diagnosis often comes only after patients develop life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis. Without national screening guidelines, physicians lack a reliable way to identify at-risk patients before they’re in crisis.
“To really emphasize the importance of early detection, we’re offering members this unique framework for family physicians to connect with community-level partners,” Lester said.
Key to the framework is the “Community Awareness and Screening Facilitator Guide,” which lays out every step of conducting a T1D-centered event, including slides and handouts to share with attendees. The guidance details how to
- plan the event, including selecting a venue and preparing presentation materials and collateral;
- recruit stakeholders and participants;
- lead interactive discussions, clinical conversations and audience engagement; and
- maintain connection and build further support after the event.
“It’s a turnkey primer for hosting educational workshops on T1D that bring together stakeholders, including patients,” Lester said. “We call the framework scalable because family physicians who use it can tailor it to their communities and the most appropriate regional and local partners.”
Putting the T1D framework into action
In August, the Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP), in partnership with the AAFP and with support from the health care company Sanofi, convened stakeholders for a daylong pilot of the Academy’s T1D framework. The event gathered lawmakers, clinicians and affected families and included personal testimony about the effects of diabetes.
Updated T1D resources for clinicians and patients
The Academy’s new T1D page centers on the community-engagement framework, with a comprehensive suite of related resources. It also includes
- an overview of the disease,
- tools to help integrate T1D into primary care practices,
- tips on using the AAFP’s Neighborhood Navigator as part of T1D integration and
- a guide to shared decision-making with new T1D patients.
Updated T1D information for patients on familydoctor.org includes
- help distinguishing T1D from type 2 diabetes,
- T1D risk factors,
- information on early detection and screening,
- T1D management tips and
- emergency guidance for hypo/hyperglycemia.
Kari Webber, the OAFP chapter executive, said the day included “an unusually broad coalition—state medical association leadership, legislators including members of the diabetes caucus, Medicaid-contracted entities, physicians, pharmacists, advocacy organizations, parents and caregivers.”
“The room was full of people who had family, friends or patients diagnosed with T1D,” she added. “The stories everyone shared, and their obviously deep personal investments, showed how this disease connects people. Before the event was over, people had gone from sharing experiences to mapping strategy.”
Family physicians can build alliances against T1D ‘anywhere’
Lester said the successful Oklahoma roundtable models what AAFP members can do anywhere.
“The framework opens an opportunity for family doctors to assemble stakeholders and patients in the communities they serve, working at a grassroots level to increase awareness and understanding of T1D—especially as family physicians become more vital to coordinating T1D screening, improving early detection and being proactive about intervention,” he said.
Webber, the OAFP executive, called her state’s roundtable “a catalyst for change.”
“This is a way forward, one family-physician-led community at a time,” Lester said.