Leicester Foundation Group: Successful Implementation Of Structured Education For Newly-Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes

In the UK there are currently no national structured education programmes for people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In Leicester we developed a programme for people to attend within six months of diagnosis with the aim of increasing patients' self-efficacy in managing their diabetes.Forty-two people attended the group over a 12-month period. The participants completed a questionnaire based on a 10-point Likert scale to assess confidence to participate in daily activities while managing their insulin and blood glucose levels, both at baseline and after the structured education intervention.Participants self-reported improved confidence levels aligned to different situations, including the ability to adjust insulin accordingly and achieve target blood glucose (4-7mmol/L). Scores increased significantly in a number of scenarios, e.g. confidence to do a sporting activity 8(6.5-8.2) to 9(8.0-9.0), confidence to adjust insulin for the activity 5(3.8-6.2) to 8(6.9-8.3), and confidence that glucose levels will be in target after insulin adjustment 4(3.4-5.6) to 8(6.6-8.0).Attendance at a structured group education programme can significantly increase individuals' self-efficacy to manage type 1 diabetes. Copyright (C) 2012 John Wiley & Sons.