Endocrine Abstracts

The multidisciplinary diabetes team consists of health care professionals (HCP) each with a profession specific role who are required to be competent to a basic level in all aspects of diabetes care. Working together, teams provide all the education required to manage this condition to children and families as they grow up. The amount and complexity of information is increasing making it difficult to deliver to all individually. Group education is a solution but introduces a range of new skills required by the HCP’s to achieve the objectives of the education.

Teaching methods and teaching materials adapted from those used with individuals in diabetes education is no longer adequate. The best practice tariff requires the provision of structured education that meets rigorous standards, not least in its consistency and effectiveness for each child whilst also providing peer support and other benefits of children learning life and diabetes skills together and from each other. This requires the skills of a teacher.

In the USA, Australia, Canada and Europe children’s diabetes teams often include a diabetes educator. These professionals have a variety of backgrounds however, the majority are nurses. The training to become a Credentialed Diabetes Educator is comprehensive with teaching skills just one component. This team member is responsible for all the education and on going support of the child and family post diagnosis.

In the UK we are developing training courses to support the role of a diabetes educator which would enhance the skills of that professional and includes teaching skills. However, it will take time and further resources to fully establish this role so we need an interim approach using existing skills within the diabetes team with priority given to dedicated time to manage the structured education programme – the first responsibility of that teams ‘diabetes educator’.