Getting Sources Of Diabetes Education Program
By Sam Cyrus

Diabetes education is generally talking about what the disease is, how devastating complications can be, and what risk factors exist. The diabetes education can be a key to leading a healthy life in managing the illness. Correct and true information of the diabetes education leads to making better decisions and choices in life, especially when people get too high of the blood sugar level, they can begin to make healthier choices about the foods they eat and the way in which the body is best taken care of.

One of the sources of the diabetes education is IDF (International Diabetes Federation). IDF is the primary body that can facilitate action to fight the diabetes epidemic and its consequences. Facilitated development of health professionals and highly skilled in diabetes management make the IDF signals of the diabetes education very exciting. The IDF also organizes a diabetes education in the form of a pilot study in the Philippines that will offer culturally appropriate and improved diabetes care in rural communities using local health workers.

The Federation aims to create a robust global framework for the effective implementation of diabetes education activities at the global, regional and local level. With the increasing prevalence of diabetes and the lack of properly trained healthcare providers in diabetes education and care, IDF saw the need to create IDF Centres of Education. IDF is calling for applications from institutions and member organizations that have a recognized reputation

in health professional education.

The diabetes education program in the Philippines, along with the 10 other selected translational research projects, was chosen because of its innovative idea, demonstration of the potential for health care cost savings, sustainability plans and the opportunity for its results to be widely replicated in other settings.

The education program will offer culturally-appropriate, comprehensive diabetes education by using locally adapted educational materials, with the support of Barangay Health Workers (BHW) as health educators. The pilot study is part of a long-term, self-sustaining diabetes program which aims at reducing the burden of diabetes by improving self-care and behaviour.

The other source of the diabetes education is IDEATel (Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine) held by The Columbia University. It is a four-year demonstration project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with the overall goals of evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of telemedicine in the management of older patients with diabetes. The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial and is being conducted by a state-wide consortium in New York. Eligibility requires that participants have diabetes, are Medicare beneficiaries, and reside in federally designated medically underserved areas. A total of 1,500 participants will be randomized, half in New York City and half in other areas of the state.