Hypoglycemia Concerns

Documentation: HABS, HCS, Partner-HCS

Hypoglycemia Attitudes and Behavior Scales (HABS)

The HABS is a 14-item self-report scale that highlights two critical dimensions of hypoglycemia-related concerns (anxiety and avoidance) and one positive dimension (confidence). It has only been validated for use in adults with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
First published in 2015, it is recommended for use as a clinical instrument for opening conversations with patients about their hypoglycemic concerns as well as a potentially important outcome measure in appropriate studies.

At this time, the HABS available in English, Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, French (France), French (Switzerland), Greek, Arabic (Israel), Russian (Israel), Italian (Italy), Italian (Switzerland), Romanian, Slovak, Serbian, Slovenian, Swedish, German (Switzerland), Spanish (United States) and Turkish.

The key HABS publication for type 2 diabetes is:

Title: Identifying the worries and concerns about hypoglycemia in adults with type 2 diabetes

Date: 2015
Authors: Polonsky WH, Fisher L, Hessler D, Edelman SV

The key HABS publication for type 1 diabetes is:

Title: Worries and concerns about hypoglycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes: An examination of the reliability and validity of the Hypoglycemic Attitudes and Behavior Scale (HABS)

Date: 2020
Authors: Polonsky WH, Fisher L, Hessler D, Liu J, Fan L, McAuliffe-Fogarty AH

Hypoglycemia Confidence Scale (HCS)

The HCS is a 9-item self-report scale that examines the degree to which people with diabetes feel able, secure, and comfortable regarding their ability to stay safe from hypoglycemic-related problems. It has been validated for use in adults with type 1 diabetes and insulin-using type 2 diabetes.First published in 2017, it is already been selected as an important outcome measures in upcoming studies.

This copyrighted scale is available free of charge to non-profit institutions for use in clinical care and research.However, payment of a per use licensing fee is required for all for-profit companies and other for-profit institutions. To find out more about licensing procedures and fees in regards to for-profit organizations, please contact us at [email protected].

The key HCS publication is:

Title: Investigating Hypoglycemic Confidence in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Date: 2017
Authors: Polonsky WH, Fisher L, Hessler D, Edelman SV

At this time, the HCS is only available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Turkish.

Hypoglycemia Confidence Scale for Partners of Adults with Type 1 Diabetes (Partner-HCS)

The Partner HCS is a 12-item self-report scale that examines the degree to which partners of adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) feel able, secure, and comfortable regarding their ability to help their T1D partner stay safe from hypoglycemic-related problems.

This copyrighted scale is available free of charge to non-profit institutions for use in clinical care and research.However, payment of a per use licensing fee is required for all for-profit companies and other for-profit institutions. To find out more about licensing procedures and fees in regards to for-profit organizations, please contact us at [email protected].

The key HCS publication is:

Title: Hypoglycemic Confidence in the Partners of Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

Date: 2020
Authors: Polonsky WH, Fortmann AL, Johnson KE, Nguyen A, Beebe C

At this time, the HCS is only available in English.

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October 24CME Workshop
On October 24, BDI will host a live, one-day, CME workshop: Engaging the Disengaged: Innovative Strategies for Promoting Behavior Change in Diabetes. Run by Dr. Polonsky (BDI President) and Dr. Guzman (BDI Clinic Director), Participants will deepen their skills in recognizing and addressing common barriers to effective self-care and cardiometabolic medication initiation and maintenance, while fostering respectful, stigma-free clinical encounters.