Perspectives on Diabetes Care
This is the official blog of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists where we share recent research and professional opinions on diabetes care and education.
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Are You Recreating the Wheel for Diabetes Education Materials?
Dec 16, 2011, 00:00 AM
I am a subscriber to many of the Communities of Interest and State Networks on the MY AADE NETWORK. Because of this, I receive lots discussion threads about various educational resources that are available for diabetes educators. There are many great resources that can be provided to patients as a reference to support the education session and many that are perfect for support groups and outreach programs. I would love input from you about your favorite resources--whether it be a particular single piece or an organization that you use as a “go to” for items.
Before I recommend resources to other educators, I make sure that they are free and available to the public (that is, non-proprietary). Items provided by governmental agencies are non-proprietary and meant to be used as much as possible. So, photocopy away! These types of resources can be found on most of the “dot gov” websites.
Buckle up. We are driving to the land of acronyms….
Some searches will take you to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and more specifically to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP).
A quick search brought me to several possible resources. Here are a few:
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The CDC website has a wealth of information about diabetes (including those amazing maps that show trends for diagnosed diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity--always a hit when shown during presentations).
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The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the NIH has information on their PubMed Health site.
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The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) of the NIDDK of the NIH has categories for Easy-to-Read Publications and Spanish-language Publications.
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NDEP has search options for various ages, ethnicity/race, and language (with 20 possible languages!).
Do you have a certain website or a particular piece that you find helpful? Some areas I would like to hear about include those for kids, teens, those with disabilities, and those geared toward particular ethnic/cultural groups. Which are available in multiple languages?
What else should we take into consideration when choosing informational pieces for patients and clients? Share your knowledge so we don’t use our valuable time recreating the diabetes education wheel.