P-86: Starting the first diabetes camp for children as a result of the allan drash fellowship experience
M Raicevic, P Minnock, B E MarksAbstract
Introduction
To improve equity in the care of youth around the world ISPAD and Breakthrough T1D, offer junior cliniciansthe opportunity to expand their clinical knowledge at a Center of Excellence through Allan Drash Fellowship (ADF). ADF are encouraged to share the impact of these fellowships on diabetes care upon returning to their home countries.
Objectives
This study aims to present the infrastructure needed to start the first-ever diabetes camp in Montenegro, andto evaluate its impact on youth and parents.
Methods
All 137 youth with T1D ages 10-16 receiving care at the Clinical Center of Montenegro were offered the chance to participate in a 5 day camp. Data were collected retrospectively. HbA1c levels obtained as part of routine care were collected before (0-4 mo) and after (2-4 mo) camp. Youth and their parents were sent an electronic questionnaire to complete 7 days after camp. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to assess changes in HbA1c levels. Descriptive statistics from the 5-point Likert scale surveys are reported with scores of 4 or 5 constituting agreement.
Results
The camp included: 21 youth ages 10 to 16, 3 pediatric endocrinologists, 3 adult endocrinologists, 8 nurses, 1psychologist, 1 social worker, and 1 dietitian. Camp activities included sports, art workshops, confidence builiding exercises and spontaneous hands on experiences that allowed you to improve T1D self-management skills. Although HbA1c values did not change (pre- 7.1% vs post- 7.0%, p=0.405), however 75% of youth reported feeling more confident about their T1D management and 62.5% reported learning many new things about T1D. 93.3% of parents reported their child built self confidence and accepted the diagnosis better after camp. All parents and youth reported they would apply for the camp again.
Conclusions
The ADF empowers junior clinicians in developing countries to improve diabetes care. Our results suggest participating in diabetes camp offers improvement in self-management skills and glycemic control among children with T1D.