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VOLUME 7 NUMBER 3 • SEPTEMBER 2010
Diabetes Educator’s Focus
Many South Africans with diabetes would need to stay in a boarding facil-
ity or be admitted to hospital for that time.
Conclusions
Structured training programmes have been proven to be effective in al-
lowing persons with type 1 diabetes to better manage their condition.
In the private healthcare system, a structured education model such as
DAFNE could be very effective in South Africa. The first training course has
recently been held at the CDE in Johannesburg.
However, for the majority of type 1 diabetics, this will not be a viable
proposition. A standardised education model specifically designed for the
African situation should be the goal but it would also need recognised
diabetes educator training to ensure that nurses implementing this educa-
tion are adequately trained. In a study done in primary-care clinics in rural
South Africa,
19
it was shown that when diagnostic and treatment protocols
were designed to be nurse led and implemented, the majority of patients
with chronic conditions showed an improvement in clinical condition and
an improved adherence to treatment.
Without adequate knowledge and skills, the person with type 1 diabetes
is unable to manage his/her condition effectively and the ideal would be a
structured training programme suitable for South African cultures, foods
and lifestyles, to be delivered by trained diabetes educators, for rural clin-
ics and specialised hospital settings, and for private and public healthcare
facilities. This is unfortunately a tall order.
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R
eferences
Table 1. Guidelines for patient education
Understanding diabetes
•
Causes of diabetes
•
Symptoms of diabetes
•
Different types of diabetes
Health management
•
Diet and nutrition therapy: understanding food and its role in
blood glucose regulation
–– Carbohydrate counting
–– Role of fat and protein
–– Meal planning
•
Regulation of blood glucose levels
•
How to use alcohol appropriately
•
Different sweeteners: pro’s and con’s
•
Essential supplements
•
Special occasions
•
Exercise principle and guidelines
•
Managing weight
Diabetes treatment
•
Goals for diabetes management
•
Blood glucose monitoring
•
Different types of blood glucose-lowering medication
•
Correct use and timing of medication
•
Self management skills, e.g. how to correct low and high
blood glucose levels
•
Complications.
