Interprofessional Diabetes Course for Healthcare Professionals – Online/Face to face

The mode of study is blended e-learning with an objective patient evaluation review assessment (OPERA). The course consists of 6 weeks of e-learning, with one week introduction, which will be completed in a two-month period to allow participants to learn at a variable pace. 

Online discussion among peers supported by tutors will be encouraged related to case studies or specific points of interest highlighted in the course materials.

The patient journey will be developed over the course from diagnosis through the development of complications. Where relevant students will be encouraged to use or reference their own cases and professional experiences.

Students will be expected to have reviewed all the online material and will be required to pass the 2 summative quizzes before being entered into the OPERA which is the final assessment.  

• increase theoretical and experiential knowledge of diabetes mellitus  

• build personal confidence to assess and manage complex diabetes 

• encourage inter-professional collaboration  

• improve outcomes and the quality of clinical experience for the patient 

Advanced knowledge and understanding  

• Key pathophysiological disturbances of diabetes mellitus 
• Mechanisms of risk of diabetes mellitus risk and it’s assessment
• Diagnostic criteria   
• Using guidelines for diabetes care
• Pathways for treatment escalation and de-escalation.  
• The inter-relation of other co-morbidities on glucose regulation
• Managing co-morbidity in patients with diabetes mellitus 
• Therapeutic intelligence and personalising care

Practical skills 

• Develop specific, holistic care plans for patients with diabetes likely to be seen in the participants’ own practice.  
• Recommend and initiate non-insulin injectable and/or oral glucose lowering therapies.  
• Provide key advice to the patient for the initiation and adjustment of insulin. 
• Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary team of specialists in a virtual and face-to-face environment

Transferable skills  

• Apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course to the participant’s own practice.  
• Develop a safety-first approach to decrease adverse patient outcomes and the upward referral to hospital-based diabetes services.
• Improve communication between primary and secondary care. 
• Design environments and diabetes pathways to provide safe, cost-efficient services for complex patients.   

Students will access the course material online via Canvas (our Virtual Learning Environment). The course has been developed to enable students to work through the content as flexibly as possible. Quizzes and group presentations are scheduled throughout the six-week programme.

Students will need to be available virtually on specific days for the case presentations.

Schedule:

There will be an online introduction to the course via MS Teams scheduled on the Monday before the course is due to start. 

Six weeks online learning plus an introduction session starts on 21 May 2024, with one day practical OPERA assessment on 8 August 2024 (onsite). 

Presentations via MS Teams will be held on week 2, 4 and 6 for approximately 1.5 hours (Time: TBC).

Any individual meetings with Tutors (via MS Teams) will need to be arranged directly between the student and Tutor.