The Ecological Footprint of Diabetes Care: Challenges and Solutions

The CDE Academy is proud to invite you to register for our next Journal Club Webinar, taking place on 8 September 2026 from 19h30 to 20h30 GMT+2 (SAST/CAT). Each session is real-time, online and CPD-accredited.

All our topics are carefully selected to be of interest to all members of the wider interdisciplinary diabetes team.

The Hidden Footprint of Diabetes Care

As the prevalence of diabetes rises, so too does the often-overlooked environmental footprint of its care. Medications, monitoring devices, healthcare-related travel and the management of preventable complications all carry costs that extend beyond the individual consultation.

This Journal Club brings sustainability into sharp clinical focus—not as abstract policy rhetoric, but as an issue shaped by the everyday decisions made by healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes.

From Evidence to Everyday Practice

Grounded in emerging evidence, the session will explore how optimising glycaemic management, preventing complications and rethinking care pathways may help reduce both patient burden and environmental cost.

From virtual consultations and more efficient models of care to thoughtful prescribing and the responsible use of diabetes technologies, relatively small changes can compound into meaningful benefits. The discussion will consider how sustainability can be integrated into clinical practice without losing sight of safety, quality of care or individual patient needs.

Expert Insight from Dr Amar Puttanna

We will be joined by Dr Amar Puttanna, MBChB MRCP, a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the West Midlands and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer. Dr Puttanna is an experienced clinician, educator and researcher whose interests include cardiovascular disease, diabetes in older adults and translating research into clinical practice.

He has contributed to national diabetes guidance and educational initiatives, including work with the Joint British Diabetes Societies and TREND-UK. His contributions to diabetes care, education and research have been recognised through several awards, including a Quality in Care Award and the Royal College of Physicians’ Excellence in Patient Care Award.

Shaping a More Sustainable Future

In a world of finite resources, the question is no longer simply whether healthcare can afford to prioritise sustainability, but whether it can afford not to. Reducing the ecological footprint of diabetes care will require the wider interdisciplinary team to examine how care is delivered, how resources are used and where better outcomes can prevent unnecessary burden.

This session invites us to consider how evidence-informed clinical choices can support both better diabetes outcomes and a more sustainable healthcare future—because the future of diabetes care may depend as much on how we think as on what we prescribe.