Diabetes education program in Bulgaria

The objective of the Diabetes Education Program for Bulgaria (DEPB) was to introduce a large-scale unified structured educational program for insulin- treated diabetic patients. A total of 52 university and regional educationa l centers for people with diabetes and four centers for education of childr en with diabetes were organized. The educational course includes 10 session s, 45 min each, in 3-5 consecutive days for groups of 8-12 insulin-treated patients. To assess the effect of the DEPB on diabetes-related parameters d ata collection was organized in seven centers. It included 2055 patients wh o were allocated to education (intervention group) or not to be educated (c ontrol group). Diabetes-related parameters were measured at baseline, and p atients will be followed at 6 months. Measuring the biochemical parameters, self-estimated knowledge, treatment satisfaction, burden and handling of d iabetes before and after education would give the opportunity to evaluate i ts impact on the metabolic control and on psychological factors. (C) 2001 E lsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.