title: Särimner: a computer model of diabetes physiology for education of physicians and patients.
abstract: Often diabetic patients have developed their skills by some trial-and-error-like training over a long period of time. To minimize this inconvenience we have made a mathematical model to facilitate diabetes education. The model consists of a number of blocks involved in diabetes physiology: digestion, blood (transport), pancreas, injected insulin absorption, liver, muscles, kidneys, metabolism and insulin sensitivity. The model serves as a demonstration object and the user can change meals, exercise and injections and see the resulting blood glucose level. A more experienced user can search for further explanations of different phenomena deeper in the physiology of the model. The model does not solve any problem for the user, but creates a learning situation in which the user, led by his own curiosity, successively increases his experience of diabetes physiology. Särimner is implemented as an easy-to-use menu driven computer program for IBM PC-clones with Hercules, EGA or VGA graphics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hedbrant
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ludvigsson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nordenskjöld
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004501:Education, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin