Journal of Nutrition and Human Health

Exploration of the effect of diabetes training in primary health care

International conference on DIABETES, NUTRITION, METABOLISM & MEDICARE
July 24-26, 2017 | Vancouver, Canada

Omorogieva Ojo

University of Greenwich, London, UK

Keynote : J Nutr Hum Health

Abstract:

Background: Despite the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the UK and worldwide and its effect on patients’ morbidity and mortality, evaluation of the impact of diabetes training that should sustain the quality of diabetes care provision is limited1. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the effect of diabetes training on the provision of diabetes care and service among healthcare professionals. Method: This was a qualitative research study involving healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses) who attended the diabetes training programme which consisted of a 3-day Foundation level course and/or the 2.5 day programme for injectable therapy (Pitstop) course. Participants attended four focus group sessions in health centres in East Kent, UK. Ethical approval for the study was obtained and all participants consented before taking part in the study. The focus group sessions were recorded using audiotapes which were then transcribed. Data Analysis: Four researchers carried out thematic analyses of the data separately and these were then integrated into six themes. The themes were; the benefits of the diabetes training, areas for improvement of the training, impact on health services, healthcare professionals and patients, and barriers to its implementation. Results: The benefits of the training included the resources provided, promotion of participants’ knowledge, ongoing support and the environment for inter-professional learning. On the other hand, the effect of the diabetes training was evident in terms of its positive impact on the practices or service delivery (such as improved team working), the healthcare professionals (improved knowledge and skills) and the patients (improved quality and continuity of care). Although there were merits in the training programme, there were also areas for improvement. Barriers to implementing the training programme included patients not attending appointments, volume of patients, not able to prescribe and conflicting sources of information. Discussion: The findings of this study are in line with previous research which suggest that diabetes training can promote the knowledge and skills of nurses and other health care professionals to empower patients to manage their conditions effectively. Conclusion: The Foundation and Pitstop diabetes training programme is useful in promoting the delivery of diabetes service in East Kent in terms of promoting improvement in team working. In addition, it has enhanced the confidence, knowledge and practice of health care professionals while ensuring early diagnosis, better education and tighter control of patients’ blood glucose levels. Despite the advantages of the diabetes training programme, there are areas for improvement. Acknowledgement: The authors wish to acknowledge the support of Paula Carr Diabetes Trust in funding this study.

Biography:

Omorogieva Ojo has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Greenwich, London, a post graduate diploma in diabetes from University of Surrey, Roehampton and a graduate certificate in Higher Education from University of Greenwich. Prior to these qualifications. He had his BSc and MSc in animal science from University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has been a Senior Lecturer in Primary Care for nearly seven years and he teaches across a range of courses and programmes in the Faculty of Education and Health, University of Greenwich. His key interest and areas of expertise are diabetes and nutrition which form the focus of his research and teaching activities. He leads the school Diabetes Specialist Interest Group and co-ordinates the Diabetes Care and Management course for post registration nurses and Patient Pathways of Care for pre-registration participants. He supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate research students including PhD students. His research interests are reflected in his 35 publications in reputable journals and 12 conference presentations. His work is recognised both nationally and internationally and he has been a keynote speaker at the NNNG conference in Manchester, UK and Global Diabetes Conference and Medicare Expo, in Birmingham, UK. Dr Ojo is a reviewer for a range of journals and he sits on the Editorial Board on a number of International Journals.

Email: o.ojo@greenwich.ac.uk

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