Download

Free Med Pocket Cards

Rationale of the Week | Diabetes Burnout Despite Control?

For last week’s practice question, we quizzed participants on Diabetes Burnout Despite Control. 94% of respondents chose the best answer. We want to clarify and share this important information, so you can pass it on to people living with diabetes and your colleagues, plus prepare for exam success!

Before we start though, if you don’t want any spoilers and haven’t tried the question yet, you can answer it below: Answer Question.

Lightbulb and text: Rationale of the Week

Question: Jada, a 29-year-old with type 1 diabetes, tells you she’s feeling burned out and emotionally drained, despite maintaining a time in range above 70% for the past several months. She says, “I’m doing everything right, but I’m exhausted and don’t feel like myself lately.” You review her CGM data and see no major red flags. She denies any recent illnesses or major changes in insulin needs. What is the most appropriate next step?

Answer Choices:

  1. Celebrate her strong glucose metrics and encourage her to stick with the same plan, reassuring her that she’s doing well.
  2. Recommend scheduling an appointment with her endocrinologist to reevaluate her insulin doses and technology settings.
  3. Acknowledge her experience and assess for emotional burnout, stressors, or imbalances in her lifestyle that could be contributing to her fatigue.
  4. Increase the frequency of data sharing and remote monitoring to help identify subtle trends and reduce her self-management burden.

Getting to the Best Answer

If you are thinking about taking the certification exam, this practice test question will set you up for success. Test writers anticipate possible answers based on the details in the question. They will wave those “juicy answers” right under your nose. Your job is to weed through the particulars, pluck out the most important elements and choose the BEST answer.

Answer 1 is incorrect. 1% chose this answer, “Celebrate her strong glucose metrics and encourage her to stick with the same plan, reassuring her that she’s doing well.” While it’s important to acknowledge the hard work it takes to stay in range, this answer misses the bigger picture. Jada is telling us she’s struggling emotionally — this is not the time to brush past her experience. High time in range does not always equal high quality of life. When someone shares they’re feeling burned out, it’s our cue to pause and dig deeper, not simply pat them on the back and move on.

Answer 2 is incorrect. 2% of you chose this answer, “Recommend scheduling an appointment with her endocrinologist to reevaluate her insulin doses and technology settings.” Jada isn’t expressing concerns about her insulin needs — she’s talking about emotional exhaustion. Jumping to insulin or tech adjustments may send the message that we’re not really listening. Yes, there’s always room to optimize settings, but that’s not the priority here. This response may unintentionally medicalize a problem that’s likely rooted in something else.

Answer 3 is correct. About 94of respondents chose this, “Acknowledge her experience and assess for emotional burnout, stressors, or imbalances in her lifestyle that could be contributing to her fatigue.” YES — this is the best answer. Jada is doing a great job with her glucose, but she’s telling us she’s tired. Diabetes burnout is real, even when the data looks “perfect.” This is our opportunity to normalize her feelings, offer support, and explore what might be out of balance — whether it’s stress, sleep, relationships, or unrealistic expectations around self-management. Holistic care means seeing the person, not just the numbers.

Finally, Answer 4 is incorrect. 1% chose this answer, “Increase the frequency of data sharing and remote monitoring to help identify subtle trends and reduce her self-management burden.” While that might sound helpful, more data is not necessarily the answer here. In fact, increasing monitoring could add to Jada’s mental load — and she’s already telling us she’s exhausted. If anything, now might be a time to consider reducing the burden, simplifying routines, or talking about boundaries with diabetes tech.

We hope you appreciate this week’s rationale! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our Question of the Week and participate in this fun learning activity!

Want to learn more about this question?

Join us live on July 24th, 2025, at 11:30 am PST to watch our brand new webinar, Beyond Blood Glucose: Empowering Health Through a Holistic Lens by Nick Kundrat, BS, CEP, CDCES, LMT

Despite the rise of cutting-edge diabetes technologies and therapeutics, many people with diabetes still struggle with fatigue, blood glucose swings, and burnout. Why? Because we’re often so focused on managing diabetes itself that we often forget to take care of the human being who lives with it.

Join Nick Kundrat, BS, CEP, CDCES, LMT and Integrative Health Practitioner, for an engaging webinar where he simplifies the often-misunderstood world of holistic health. You’ll learn practical, accessible strategies to begin thinking more holistically and discover simple, effective tools that enhance conventional care and empower people with diabetes to thrive—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Drawing from over two decades of lived experience with type 1 diabetes and years of supporting clients in both clinical and holistic settings, Nick offers a unique perspective on diabetes care focused on the whole person. Through reconnecting with the foundational elements of health, which are often overlooked in conventional diabetes care, Nick aims to equip you with actionable strategies to help people with diabetes restore their energy, support their bodies, and thrive beyond diabetes.

All hours earned count toward your CDCES Accreditation Information

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post weekly Blog Bytes that are informative and FREE! Every week we post one exam practice Question of the Week and Rationale of the Week. Sign up below!

The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the certification exam. CBDCE and ADCES do not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES or BC-ADM exams, except for those published by CBDCE & ADCES.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes!

We post weekly Blog Bytes that are informative and FREE! Every week we post one exam practice Question of the Week and Rationale of the Week. Sign up below!

Form Heading

The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the certification exam. CBDCE and ADCES do not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES or BC-ADM exams, except for those published by CBDCE & ADCES.

**To satisfy the requirement for renewal of certification by continuing education for the Certification Board for Diabetes Care & Education (CBDCE), continuing education activities must be applicable to diabetes and approved by a provider on the CBDCE List of Recognized Providers (www.cbdce.org). CBDCE does not approve continuing education. Diabetes Education Services is accredited/approved by the Commission of Dietetic Registration which is on the list of CBDCE Recognized Providers.

Recent Blog Bytes