Objectives To bridge the gap between existing clinical evidence and recommendations around screening for diabetes-related distress (DD) and the observation of a low level of adoption of these suggestions in everyday clinical practice. We focused on the use of the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) by adult diabetes care specialists. Methods We conducted a survey of endocrinologists and diabetes educators in our clinics, examining the use of DD screening and assessment tools, including DDS-2, DDS-17 and T1-DDS-28. Results Our results indicated that very few practitioners surveyed are currently using the DD questionnaires, and highlighted their perceptions of the primary barriers to doing so. Conclusions We discuss the results of our survey of colleagues’ use of the DDS and provide suggestions about how to incorporate this tool, and tips about how to address the various facets of DD. We argue that integrating the assessment of DD in clinical practice, with the use of standardized and validated self-report questionnaires, is a necessary and very feasible step towards achieving further improvements in the health and quality of life of people living with type 1 diabetes.