- What is diabetes education
- DAFNE in brief
- DAFNE in detail
- DAFNE notes on this site
- Structured diabetes education programs for patients with type 2 diabetes
- a buddy
- telephone support
- A patients story...link
- Diabetes UK support helpline 0345 123 2399 Mon-Fri 9am-7pm
- Diabetes UK peer support 0843 353 8600 Sun-Fri 6pm-9pm
Diabetes education
David Kinshuck
What is diabetes education?
Diabetes is a big challenge if you want to achieve good control. The NHS and experts around the world recommend that everyone in diabetes understands their condition, and understands how to prevent complications. They need to know what to do is something goes wrong, and how to adjust their insulin is they use it.
Diabetes education courses |
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These courses teach people how to achieve food control and how to adjust insulin in their everyday life, see.
For patients with type 1 diabetes, the DAFNE or BERTIE or in the the Heart of England, SEDRIC.
'SEDRIC' : Support & Education for type 1 Diabetes Requiring Insulin adjustment & Carb counting'.
For patients with type 2 diabetes there are several 'structured diabetes education programs. Formerly, these included DESMOND for newly diagnosed patients, or for long-standing type 2 patients, the XPERT program was very helpful.
The programs help
- to build relationships
- help to develop mutual agendas & work out what their targets are
- help to work together
- discuss the importance of control
- and build confidence.
What is DAFNE?

Diabetes education courses can be very helpful
DAFNE stands for Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating. It is described in detail here DAFNE in detail Here is advice about adjusting insulin dose.
DAFNE is a way of managing Type 1 diabetes and provides people with the skills necessary to estimate the carbohydrate in each meal and to inject the right dose of insulin.
improvement in HbA1c after attending a DAFNE program
DAFNE is based on:
- 2 injections of long-acting (Background) insulin each day
- Injecting quick-acting insulin each time you eat
- Testing your blood sugar level before each injection
- details on this site
DAFNE involves attending a 5-day training course (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday) plus a follow-up session around 8 weeks after the course and yearly half-day top-up sessions. The structured teaching program is delivered to groups of 6-8 participants and covers topics including carbohydrate estimation, blood glucose monitoring, insulin regimens, hypos, illness and exercise.
The DAFNE course is about learning from experience. During the week you practice the skills of carbohydrate estimation and insulin adjustment under the supervision of DAFNE-trained nurses and dietitians.
Most of the training is built around group work, sharing and comparing experiences
with other people with Type 1 diabetes. However, there are opportunities
for each person to speak to a doctor, nurse or dietitian individually.
DAFNE allows people to fit diabetes into their lifestyle, rather than changing
their lifestyle to fit in with their diabetes.
The aim of DAFNE is
to help you lead as normal a life as possible, while controlling your blood
glucose levels, hence reducing the risk of long-term complications related
to diabetes.
It is described in detail DAFNE. If you use insulin and want good diabetic control, insist you can attend such a course. This site teaches you to count your carbohydrates, so you can work out your insulin dose (you need to register and log in).
Many people have benefitted tremendously, see "The DAFNE course absolutely blew me away".
Structured diabetes education programs for patients with type 2 diabetes
- these programs are available from all diabetes teams
- See
- You learn about diabetes, weight management, and glucose control. You learn from others, they learn from you, and you learn to take control of your diabetes.
- 6 x 2.5 hour sessions over a few weeks. Some courses may be in the evening.
If you are diabetic and want good diabetic control, insist you can attend one of these education programs. Find a course and ask if your GP if you can attend.
A buddy
This is available in parts of the UK. "The Buddy Service is a group of trained volunteers in Lothian who have personal experience of the life changes required to live with diabetes successfully. They all have diabetes or are looking after partners, parents or children with diabetes and come from different backgrounds.
A buddy's job is to listen to and talk with others in the same situation and to give help whenever possible. Buddies don’t give any medical advice, that is provided by experienced doctors and nurses. Buddies can share the practical problems of living with diabetes, day in, day out." See.
Telephone support
For professionals
the '5 A's
From here the 5 As in diabetes education
Advice has to list to patients problems, and tailor the goals accordingly. There are many strategies, (p115) , including the Care Ambassador program & here. Such strategies should be used. (P126) as below, describes an office based intervention.
A Primary care plan (p126)
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Diabetes and Culture
See BMJ 2008. The central role of a healthy diet and lifestyle is recognised by many religions and religious leaders. There is no cultural 'fatalism', that is leaving everything to God. The individual should adopt a healthy diet and should exercise.
Apologies 2018
- Read referral, correct patient, look at patient, not screen, lListen 2 minutes uninterrupted talking time, don't criticise (anyone) in front of others
- Apologies
- early if results not arrived
- Prompt apology
- Correct cause
- Formal complaint,
Pals,
Complaint management pathway
- Get first response letter write
- Clear apology
- Accurate timeline
- Clinical outcome
- Go through specific questions asked
- Dr talk through with pals
- Offer second opinion
- Address unanswered points
- if you meet., may need to listen for 1 hour