Diabetes Education Study Group

I would like to start by showing my gratitude to all members of the Executive Committee – Conxa Castell, Els Dennis, Line Kleinebreil, Anna Majchrzak, Ina Stafie, David Cavan and Godfrey Xuereb; to the DESG Secretariat namely Sonia and Filipa, to the G.C and to all DESG members for their support and commitment with the Diabetes Education Study Group Project.

I would like to give special thanks to Jean-Philippe Assal, from whom I have continuously been receiving so much encouragement, advice and support.

Obviously I couldn’t continue without expressing my appreciation to Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute for their generous, continued and unconditional support of the DESG. In particular, I would like to thank their President, Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu, Vivian Wang and Sylvie Donnasson. Their support allowed DESG to maintain and develop all their activities during 2011.

Since the DESG has no financial personality the funds aimed exclusively to DESG’s activities are attributed to the Local organization of the current President.

 Along the last year the DESG’s main activities were:

 I. THE ANNUAL WORKSHOP OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The 2011 Workshop of the General Committee Members took place from 23^rd to 27^th February, in Poros, Greece and was attended by 60 participants from 28 countries. The meeting was entitled “Are you ready for your patient?". The represented countries were: Albania; Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States of America.

The remarkable directing and organizing role of Despina Varakla was truly valuable. I would like to thank her and her team for a very interesting programme.

 II. THE DESG WEBSITE

The website is still a privileged way to communicate with DESG members and with all the people interested in our activities and material. Besides that, it is also a way to report and promote special initiatives such as the Annual GC Workshops and the Therapeutic Education Symposia organized by the DESG

All the material considered to be relevant (such as translated educational tools or meetings’ presentations) becomes available to download as soon as it is received.

A good example is Prof. Assal’s book entitled “A Citizen’s Guide to Chronic Disease Care”, which edition was sponsored by the DESG and is now translated into French and Portuguese. We have also the English and French Patient Centeredness pamphlets on the website.

Statistics show that we had more than 110 000 visits last year. They also show that each visitor clicks 9 times in average. The 5 countries most visited the site were USA, Spain, Netherlands, UK and Turkey.

 III. THE DESG AT THE 47^th EASD MEETING

The first DESG Satellite Symposium will take place on the occasion of the 47^th EASD meeting entitled “Tricks, Tracks and News Challenges” and will be chaired by José-Manuel Boavida and Line Kleinebreil

 Once again the DESG will be represented at the EASD’s Associations’ Village. As in previous years, the DESG’s booth is the meeting point for consulting educational material, for contacting and showing interest in collaborating with the DESG.

So far we have been the only study group represented. We have defending the idea of a Study Groups’ Village at the EASD and we think this could be an important step to the development of our Association’s Study Groups.

 IV. NEW MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

This is the last year of my mandate and in 2012 Line Kleinebreil will become President of the DESG.

I will be replaced by João Raposo and Conxa Castell who will also leave the Executive Committee will be replaced by Adela Rovira Roscos.

The other new members will be Ulrich Mueller and Juan Ruiz Garcia

 The Executive Committee will then be restructured as follows:

Line Kleinebreil (President) - France

Juan Ruiz Garcia - Switzerland

Anna Majchrzak (Honorary Secretary) - Poland

Adela Rovira Roscos (Vowel) – Spain   

David Cavan (Director of Educational Strategies) - UK

Els Dennis (Honorary Treasurer) – Netherlands

Ina Stafie (Vowel) - Romania

João Raposo (Vowel) – Portugal

Ulrich Mueller (Vowel) – Germany

 Godfrey Xuereb as WHO representative is a permanent invited member to the EC

 V. DESG MEMBERS AND GENERAL COMMITTEE

The DESG has now 854 members from which we have no information about their current EASD membership status. Nevertheless, according to DESG’s constitution, all the Executive Committee Members have to be EASD Members.

The DESG has a General Committee constituted by 2 members of each European Country. Currently, the GC has 60 members coming from 34 countries. 22 members will end their mandate this year and will be replaced. There are still 10 European countries without any representative, to which the board will continue its effort to find people interested in representing them –  Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

 VI. DESG GRANTS

The DESG sponsored the participation of some members at Therapeutic Patient Education Meetings held during this year. 

• The 2011 GC Workshop took place in Poros, Greece from 24^th to 27^th February, under the organization of Despina Varakla;
• 12^th Seminar in Therapeutic Education in Sesimbra- Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal – 5 to 8 May 2011, Portugal.

The proposed theme this year was “The Citizenship”. 66 health care professionals discussed aspects such as how “seek and find the way”, “it is easier to walk together”, “was I in the wrong way?”, “walking in all directions”;

•  Zinal Seminar - “L’éducation thérapeutique aujourd’hui  - un tissage entre apprentissage et accompagnement – 18 to 22 July 2011, Switzerland.

“Today’s Therapeutic Education: weaving between learning and support” was the theme proposed by Prof. Alain Golay and his team at the Therapeutic Patient Education Department of Hospital University of Geneva.

• A DESG Satellite Symposium is being organized during the EASD 2011 Annual Meeting in Lisbon, under the title of “Tricks, Tracks and New Challenges” and it will be held on 11^th September at 2 p.m.

As in the past years, the DESG has partially supported the participation of some EC members to this EASD Meeting.

 VII. DESG AWARDS

To encourage research in the field of Therapeutic Patient Education, the DESG will attribute two awards of EUR 600 each, to the best abstracts from those selected for the 47^th EASD Annual Meeting and one award of EUR 600,00 to the best abstract accepted at the 13^th FEND Annual Conference. The evaluation of these abstracts is been carried out by a DESG committee.

This year the DESG Awards were given to:

"Nurses' Perceptions on Therapeutic Patient Education" - A.C. Paiva, Portugal, presented at the 16^th  FEND Annual Conference

“Patients with type 2 prefer education based on participation and development of competences over informationatients – I. Willaing, Denmark and

“Motivating type 1 diabetic patients to learn carbohydrate counting through a cultural/aesthetic experience – A.C. Bianchi, Italy, both presented at the 47^th Annual Meeting of the EASD.

As in previous years, the chosen papers will be published on the DESG Website.

 VIII. DESG FINANCES

The generous support of Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute was the main support of our activities. Nothing is yet decided for 2012 but the EC has been contacting potential partners especially those who have showed to be more active in the Therapeutic Patient Education area.

 IX. DESG FUTURE ACTIVITIES

• The new President, Line Kleinbreil, will present in the GC Meeting her proposals for the continuity and development of the DESG.
• There are already several planned meetings for 2012:
• The DESG Workshop, 21^st-23^rd March 2012, in Turin, Italy organized by Luca Richiardi and Giovanni Careddu with the theme “From the taste of wholesome foods to the education for healthy eating”
• 13^th Seminar in Therapeutic Education in May 2012, Sesimbra, Portugal entitled “The Crisis and Therapeutic Education”
• 4^th Galician-Portuguese Seminar, in Portugal.