Difficult conversations: adults with diabetes and the discussion of microvascular complications.

Adults with diabetes want to learn about diabetes microvascular complications and apply preventative strategies as early as possible. Paradoxically, the diagnosis of a diabetes microvascular complication in itself may represent a unique learning opportunity because 86% of participants improved diabetes self-care after this event. Recommendations offer providers simple but important clinical approaches to improve these difficult conversations and thus support necessary behaviour changes and psychosocial well-being. Training is needed to help providers discuss the threat of diabetes complications with honest but positive messages so that people with diabetes can be fully informed but also maintain hope in the face of complications.