Editors Column

It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of what has been a very difficult year.  I hope everyone is staying safe and well and that the improved situation with COVID-19 in Australia will enable you to relax and enjoy time with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year period.

In this edition of the ADE, we have articles on a range of topics relevant to our work as diabetes educators.

Particularly relevant to the current times, Sarah Lam, clinical psychologist, discusses the psychological impact of COVID-19 on people with diabetes, with observations from a variety of health care professionals including their views of the changing needs of people with diabetes and the modifications that have needed to be made in the workplace.  Essential reading for all CDEs.

Also relevant to the way our work has changed, Elise Edwards, CDE and Accredited Exercise Physiologist from BallyCara, explains how their organisation were able to adapt their services to support people with diabetes in maintaining their physical activity levels during the pandemic and lockdowns.  She also discusses the benefits of exercise during this time and tips for CDEs to encourage physical activity among people with diabetes. 

In a third timely article, Gael Holters, Diabetes Service Nurse Manager at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, presents an evaluation of a virtual training platform used to conduct a network-wide education program to introduce a new point-of-care blood glucose meter into the hospital at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings may help other health services looking at alternatives to face-to-face staff training.

Research supporting the need to provided education around insulin dosing for fat and protein for people with type 1 diabetes has been increasing, and is a topic we have published articles on in the past [link to Carmel’s article from Sept 2019. In this issue of the ADE, Diane Harvey, OzDAFNE clinical lead dietitian at Diabetes Victoria and colleagues discuss how they have incorporated education on fat and protein counting into OzDAFNE program. 

Anna Pham-Short, Senior Diabetes Dietitian at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, has provided a helpful overview of coeliac disease in people with type 1 diabetes, including the presentation, screening practices, impact on glycaemic variability, quality of life, complications risk and bone health as well as the challenges and benefits of maintaining a strict gluten free diet. 

Want to understand more about End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) and diabetes?   Dr Jack Rycen and Dr Vasant Shenoy from Townsville University Hospital in Queensland have written a comprehensive review, discussing insights and challenges of ESKD in people with diabetes.

The use of mobile phone apps to support people with their diabetes management is increasing and in this issue of the ADE, Harry Wiffen and colleagues present their findings of a review of studies investigating the perception of women with GDM and health professionals of mobile apps available for managing GDM

Monica Bednarek and Georgia Carr from the University of Sydney Department of Linguistics present the findings of their research on Australian diabetes news media coverage, highlighting the need for continued education about the complex etiology of diabetes.

Finally, JDRF discusses the steps in the research pathway, from idea through to breakthrough, explaining why it can often take 12-15 years for a new device or treatment to get to market. 

As we finalise this edition of the ADE, our advisory group is busy planning content for next year and we would like to encourage more of our members to consider submitting an article for publication. Remember, it doesn’t need to be original research.  Do you have an interesting case study?  A quality improvement project you’ve conducted in your workplace?  Have you conducted a literature review on a particular clinical area for your own continuing professional development that you would be willing to share with others?  Do you have a practice tool you’ve developed or used that others could use?   All of these may be suitable for publication. If you have an idea you would like to discuss further, please feel free to get in touch – you can email me at editor@adea.com.au   

A reminder that you can read the ADE via https://ade.adea.com.au on any digital device and can also print, share and comment on articles as well as being able to browse or search for past articles. If you prefer to read offline, you can print any articles, either in hard copy or as a PDF which you can save and read later. You can find instructions on how to do this here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df9-L_7QvqE   

Once again I’d like to thank our hard-working EAG, and our authors, for helping to bring this edition together, particularly during this difficult time. We hope you enjoy reading it and welcome your feedback.  Have a wonderful Christmas and hopefully a happy, healthy and virus-free new year!