What education do people with type 1 diabetes want and how should we provide it? Results of a survey of patients with type 1 diabetes

The National Service Framework advised that continuing education is an essential component of diabetes care and is the cornerstone of treatment for people with diabetes. An education needs questionnaire was used to survey 100 people with type 1 diabetes attending consultant clinics in a north Liverpool teaching hospital. The aim of the survey was to obtain the views on patient education which would enable us to develop a new patient-centred education programme. The questionnaire was given to 100 consecutive people with type 1 diabetes attending both medical and nurse consultant clinics. Newly diagnosed people with diabetes under one year's duration were excluded. The questionnaire was divided into key areas including diabetes core topics, previous education, views on further education and open comments. There were 95 (95%) completed questionnaires, 52 (55%) completed by women, and the mean (SD) age was 39±14 (range 17-82 years). Eighty-four (88%) people remembered receiving previous education but 58 (61%) wanted further education on most of the listed topics. As a result of this survey we have developed an education care pathway for people with newly diagnosed diabetes which will provide initial education and self-care skills. The next step is to design a more advance programme, for all interested type 1 patients to develop further self-management skills, with specific information on microvascular and macrovascular disease.