Our Priorities

Thriving with Diabetes

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Living well with diabetes starts with understanding people’s real experiences, priorities and challenges.

Let's explore what thriving means for people living with diabetes, and for those who support them.

Diabetes is a chronic, life-long condition that can lead to serious health complications if not effectively managed. Managing diabetes requires hundreds of decisions each day.

Yet with access to the right support, care, and tools, people living with diabetes and their care teams can manage the condition more effectively, reducing the risk of complications, improving health outcomes, and creating more room to thrive – whatever that means to them.

What does thriving mean to you? And what’s still needed to get there?

We’d love to hear your perspective – whether you are living with diabetes, caring for someone who is, working in healthcare, involved in policy, or part of the wider diabetes community: Diana Kanecka, Diabetes Sector Group Lead

More than 60 million people in the European region are living with diabetes, a life-long chronic condition that can lead to severe health complications if not effectively managed. Managing diabetes can mean hundreds of decisions every day – decisions that shape energy, confidence, and the freedom to focus on what truly matters.

Improvements in treatment and care, including digitally enabled technologies and person-centred care models, have transformed diabetes management. Yet many people living with diabetes continue to face barriers – from unequal access and fragmented care, to stigma and misunderstanding about what living with diabetes really involves.

Effective diabetes management – through the right care, support and tools – is about more than just numbers. It’s about autonomy, stability, peace of mind, and the ability to participate fully in family, social, and community life. What ‘good’ looks like will mean something different for everyone.

Diabetes and its complications place significant pressure on care teams, healthcare systems, and Europe’s wider economy. When people are supported to manage their diabetes, the benefits extend far beyond individual health: fewer hospitalisations, more efficient use of resources, and stronger participation in economies and societies. Supporting people to thrive ultimately supports more resilient health systems and a more engaged and productive Europe.

By bringing together the voices of people living with diabetes, care teams, and decision-makers, we aim to build a richer understanding of both progress and the gaps that remain, and to ensure the right policies and systems are in place that enable everyone to thrive.

Key topics

Our Members and Partnerships

MedTech Europe's Diabetes Group actively collaborates with different stakeholders.

T2 Diabetes and Medical Technology

Diabetes is a growing pandemic in Europe, and Type 2 (T2) diabetes accounts for around 90% of all cases. Unlike Type 1, which is an autoimmune disorder, T2 diabetes is a chronic and progressive condition developed over time and linked to a combination of lifestyle, environmental, genetic and other factors.

System Readiness for Diabetes

Our health systems are not prepared for the growing diabetes pandemic. Designed around treating acute conditions like a broken leg, rather than chronic conditions like diabetes that require life-long treatment and care, hospitals are under increasing strain. To address the challenges of chronic conditions and build resilience for future health crises, we believe health systems must embrace a value-based, patient-centric and digitally enabled approach to care delivery.

The Value of Digitally Enabled Diabetes Care

Digitally enabled devices and services are driving a new era of diabetes treatment – one that shifts care from overburdened hospitals to the home setting while empowering people with diabetes and their care teams to better manage the condition through informed, data-driven decision-making.

Thriving with Diabetes

Today, millions of Europeans live with diabetes

Progress has been made in management and care, though gaps remain

Effective management is about more than clinical outcomes

Supporting a more resilient and productive Europe

What does ‘thriving’ mean to you? And what’s still needed to get there?

There’s no single way to thrive - every experience matters

For some, thriving means having the support to keep doing what they love

For others, it’s the freedom to enjoy everyday moments without interruption

Thriving can also mean having the energy to show up for others

Or contributing to something bigger, in whatever way feels meaningful

And sometimes, it’s being able to keep making a difference in their community