Abstract
The aim of the three‐year SWEET Project EU was to establish Centres of Reference for Paediatric Diabetes in order to improve standards of care for children and young people (CYP) with diabetes across Europe. Part of this project involved making recommendations about education of CYP and their families, as well as of health care professionals (HCPs). The following UK data collected in 2009 contributed to the SWEET final data collection. Information covered diabetes education to CYP with diabetes, their families, staff in schools and HCPs. An online questionnaire was circulated to HCPs who were involved in the care of CYP with diabetes.
Responses from 100 HCPs were received, mainly from larger more specialised clinics and included all members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Results showed that few services have written comprehensive educational curricula for CYP; programmes of education are predominantly focused on education for insulin adjustment/carbohydrate counting protocols and pump therapy, with major deficiencies in psycho‐social interventions, family communication, continuing education and transition programmes. Learning outcomes are not adequately assessed and programmes are rarely linked to diabetes outcomes.
These deficiencies exist partly because paediatric diabetes has not been recognised or contracted as a specialty service. The majority of HCP posts in paediatric diabetes do not demand prior experience in the specialty. Standardised and accredited initial and continuing professional development opportunities are severely limited and often there is little support from NHS trusts. The functioning of MDTs could be improved through agreed team philosophies, consensus on targets and increased MDT ‘business meetings’. Respondents gave overwhelming support to the development of a National Paediatric Diabetes Framework that includes accredited, validated, structured education programmes for CYP, their families, schools and HCPs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons.