Endokrinologie und Diabetesforschung

Diabetes educator course with a specialization in indigenous health

Amanda Macdonald

Diabetes Mellitus is a global epidemic, with 500 million people suffering globally in 2013. Patients cannot successfully manage their diabetic symptoms due to the lack of quality improvement (QI) of diabetic self-management education (DSME). In 2013, this number was 3 to 5 times higher in First Nations populations. The objective of this research is to facilitate better QI and DSME in Indigenous populations across the globe by creating a free, accredited course. This course will educate sustainable health promotion techniques needed for monitoring sugars, mental illness, treating common complications, medication management, and physical and nutritional therapy, to only name a few. Research on the succession will be analyzed in a Public Health practice-based research network (PBRNs) method with surveys, interviews, and statistical analysis on short-/long-term effectiveness from baseline tests. These will include: heart rate, blood pressure, mental health, medication, blood sugar levels >3 months, hyper-/hypo-glycemia, blood circulation, ankle brachial pressure test scores, kidney function, and macrovascular, retinopathy, dermatology and nerve damage complications. These tests will be completed in a small group of remote Indigenous communities in Quebec, Canada. It is hypothesized that this will improve public health efforts of patient self-management of diabetes and its associated symptoms. With this free, accredited, accessible online course to prepare health practitioners in DSME, better glycemic control, less hospital visits, decreased retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy is expected.