Diabetes Education Study Group

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Prof. Jean-Philippe Assal, August 1993

This is my first annual report after the chairmanship of Dr. John Day. I take this opportunity to thank him for having so actively run the DESG and found the financial agreement with NOVO Nordisk in order to allow our Study Group to continue without interfering with our activities. I would like also to address my thanks to Mrs. Lisbeth Vang for her continuing activity as Honorary Secretary of the DESG as well as Prof. Urban Rosenqvist, Vice-President and Dr. Valerio Miselli, DESG Treasurer.

DESG Workshop, 20-25 June, 1993, Grimentz, Switzerland
The Diabetes Education Study Group, thanks to the support of Novo Nordisk, has continued its activities during this period by holding a highly international workshop, in English, with participants coming from 15 different European countries. These were Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. A total of approximately 60 health care providers participated in this meeting. lncluded in this workshop were speakers from Australia and Cuba who demonstrated some specific and creative educational programmes. The countries selected represent about half the countries covered by Europe. This was done deliberately in order that the proper interactive process could take place.

This year's workshop was held from 20-25 June, in the alpine village of Grimentz in Switzerland and aimed at providing participants with the necessary skills to:
organize and run interactive workshops; critically approach some educational methodologies which may help patients to learn the appropriate skills in order to better manage their disease.

This workshop covered such topics as round-table discussions on training health care providers, small group discussions on using the Metaplan type approach and on planning future activities for national DESG programmes, demonstrations of the computerised education programme on hypoglycaemia developed in the Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Unit of Geneva, and that of Novo Nordisk entitled 'Captain Novocare', demonstrations of experiences in interactive education and motivating patients given by participants coming from Cuba, Australia and Sweden.

Bearing in mind the many differences between participants with regard to language, culture and socio-economic background, they managed to form an unusually homogeneous group resulting in a productive workshop.

DESG Workshop, 14-17 October, 1993, Romanmôtier, Switzerland
Stemming from these activities we foresee holding a further workshop in October of this year with a small group of experts in order to draw up the "Survival Kit" for patients. This could well become a kind of standard for our Study Group at the International level.

DESG Workshop, 9-14 October, 1994, Grimentz, Switzerland
It is planned that another workshop be held in 1994 with participants from the remaining European countries. This will be held again in Grimentz from 9-14 October 1994.

PATIENT EDUCATION 2000 - International Congress on Treatment of Chronic Diseases, 1-4 June, 1994, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland
We are pleased to announce our forthcoming International Congress, PATIENT EDUCATION 2000, which will be held in Geneva from 1-4 June, 1994. Although this meeting is not sponsored by the DESG, members of our Study Group may find this international meeting quite enriching and useful for their own educational programmes. PATIENT EDUCATION 2000 is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization. Nine chronic diseases and conditions as well as nine selected topics in patient education will come under discussion. Every member of the DESG should by now, have received a copy of the First Announcement from our Congress Organizer, AKM. This meeting will be the first of its kind where, through a comparative approach to care and education, it is hoped that each health care provider will enrich his own knowledge and skill in his specific educational approach. It is recommended to the members of the DESG to send in an abstract form before the end of the year, since it is our impression that in the field of diabetes in general and at the European level in particular, quite useful and creative educational approaches have been made. The programme including abstract forms will be available from the middle of September and will be sent to all those people having returned their reply coupons from the First Announcement.

In conclusion
This first year has been most enlightening. After having chaired the initial years of the DESG I can witness the extraordinary improvement of health care providers in the field of patient education. There is an increasing number of educational methodologies which are remarkably well mastered by senior members of our Study Group who have a very active role in educating their younger colleagues in the field of patient education. With my activity at WHO I can witness that what our Study Group is doing is certainly unique since it is the only Study Group which has among its members, about 50% physicians and 50% nurses and dieticians. The issue of patient education goes through an interdisciplinary approach and our Study Group is a living example of this joint effort. Our Study Group is also a nice example of a joint venture between the clinicians and the pharmaceutical industry in general and NOVO in particular.