P-286: Diabetes education manual for school professionals: a real-life experience
l coutinho de azevedo, M dos Santos, D M VargasAbstract
Introduction
School professionals often lack training and resources to support students with Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM), highlighting the need for practical educational tools.
Objectives
To describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a diabetes education manual designed to support school professionals in managing T1DM in the school setting.
Methods
The development took place in five stages: 1) a narrative review of the literature, using the recommendations of the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes; 2) structuring of topics for the technical draft; 3) organization of the content into educational sections; 4) technical validation and review by experts (a pediatric endocrinologist and a dietitian) ; and 5) formatting, layout, and publication in the library of the University of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil (available at https://bu.furb.br/docs/LD/2022/368575_1_1.pdf). The manual was implemented and evaluated in a training program.
Results
The manual consists of 38 pages, divided into three modules: the first covers the clinical fundamentals of T1DM, the second focuses on guidelines for managing T1DM in the school setting, and the third provides a brief overview of techniques related to medication and dietary management, blood glucose monitoring, and the storage and disposal of materials. The manual was implemented during the “theoretical phase” of the problem-based learning methodology used in a training program for 18 school administrators. Participants reported high acceptability and perceived the manual as a practical and accessible tool to support diabetes management in schools. The material facilitated knowledge retention, supported decision-making in everyday situations, and was shared with other school staff, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge.
Conclusions
The manual proved to be a practical and useful tool for supporting school professionals in managing T1DM, with the potential for broader implementation as part of diabetes education strategies in school settings.