The results of the Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN) study confirmed the beliefs of many people with diabetes and health-care providers: that addressing only the physical symptoms of diabetes is not enough; to be truly effective, diabetes care must also take into account psychological issues. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Poland, where people with diabetes showed consistently higher concern for psycho-social issues than respondents in other countries. Andrzej Kokoszka reports from Poland on an award-winning educational initiative in response to these needs.