Whatβs the best way to assist children with diabetes to look after themselves?
A new study co-led by ΒιΆΉΝψ and Cardiff University with a team of experts from across the UK is seeking to establish the best way of presenting information in order to help children and young people with type 1 diabetes look after themselves.
The study `Evidence into practice: evaluating a child-centred intervention for diabetes medicine managementβ, now commonly known as EPIC (Evidence into Practice: Information Counts) will ask children and young people with type 1 diabetes about their preferences when it comes to information and the decisions they make about how to look after themselves. The team is led by Professors Jane Noyes and Anne Williams.
Llinos Spencer, the Research Officer for EPIC at ΒιΆΉΝψ Centre for Health Related Research said: "The team is specifically looking to talk with children and young children with type 1 diabetes who live away from their families for short, medium or long periods of time β such as whilst attending summer and sports camps, boarding schools, those living with foster families, on work/education placements or courses, on holiday with friends, or those living at youth offender institutions.
βWe would be very happy to hear from parents/guardians, and children/young people between the ages of 6 and 18 years who have looked after their type 1 diabetes whilst spending some time away from their families to help usβ.
Dr Lesley Lowes, Senior Lecturer/Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse, who is a co-investigator on the project said: "Children with type 1 diabetes require specialist information, and how this information is presented and used depends very much on the age of the child and where they are living on a day to day basis, so there is a need for an age-appropriate information resource that has been developed with the help of children and young people.β.
The project is funded by the National Institute of Health Research Service Delivery and Organisation (NIHR-SDO) programme and will be undertaken in several sites across England and Wales.
If you are interested in helping the EPIC project, please contact Llinos Spencer on 07973 116 474 or L.Spencer@bangor.ac.uk Further information is available at: www.epicproject.info.
Publication date: 14 February 2011