An analysis of the existing resources in relation to education and treatment of diabetes in four European countries: Estonia, Finland, Ireland, and Lithuania.
Diabetes has reached pandemic proportions worldwide. To address and assist health care professionals in maintaining and updating their knowledge base on diabetes care, a multilateral project within the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Erasmus Curriculum Development - sub programme was initiated in 2008. Four European countries are involved in the project - Estonia, Finland, Ireland and Lithuania. Across all four countries the prevalence of diabetes is rising rapidly. The project's (DIPRA - Counselling for Practice - a pilot of improving counselling quality of diabetes) main product will be an on-line study module on patient education and counselling for health care professionals. The management of diabetes demands a broad range of skills which include, communication, leadership, counselling, teaching and research to name but a few. While it is acknowledged that nurses can incorporate these skills into practice and so benefit the care of the patient there is no uniformity across the four countries studied as to what constitutes a specialist diabetes nurse. The study module and all the materials (databank, on-line lectures, and interactive exercises) will be developed in English and translated into partners' national languages (Estonian, Finnish, Lithuanian) to maximize the accessibility of all professionals in partner countries.
Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland. a.burton@ucc.ie
Aileen
A
Burton
Ìrma
Ì
Mikkonen
Catherine
C
Buckley
Sile
S
Creedon
Marja-Anneli
MA
Hynynen
Marit
M
Kiljako
Lilija
L
Kuzminskiene
Patricia
P
Leahy-Warren
Inga
I
Mikutaviciene
Seija
S
Puputti
Vilma
V
Rasteniene
Riita
R
Riikonen
Piret
P
Simm
Eve-Merike
EM
Soovali
Arja-Irene
AI
Tiainen
Ritva
R
Väistö
D017281:Cost of Illness; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004957:Estonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D015995:Prevalence