Implementation and evaluation of a nurse-led training for school personnel on the management of children with type 1 diabetes during school hours: The STICH program

BackgroundUnawareness about type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children among teachers can be detrimental to their schooltime glycemic control.ObjectiveThis study evaluated the impact of a diabetes education program for school personnel on their knowledge and confidence in managing children with T1D at school.MethodsA nurse-led training program for school personnel on managing children with T1D at schools was implemented and evaluated. A 2-h interactive session was created on diabetes management. The knowledge and confidence were assessed using scorable structured questionnaires before and after the session and again after 3 months.ResultsOne hundred seventy-six school personnel from 94 schools attended the program. Their mean age was 41 +/- 8.5 years; the majority were females (90.3%). Some (30.7%) had a relative with diabetes and few (15.9%) had attended diabetes education previously. Both the knowledge and confidence levels of the participants showed significant improvement after the session same day as well as at 3 months (p value 0.00). The mean knowledge scores improved by 3.8 +/- 2.8 points on the same day and by 2.4 +/- 3.0 at 3 months. The mean confidence scores also increased by 5.6 +/- 4.2 on the same day and by 4.4 +/- 4.3 points at 3 months.ConclusionEmpowered school personnel can indirectly impact glycemic control among school-going children with T1D. Successful implementation of the STICH program suggests upscaling it to neighboring regions as well. Educational programs empower school personnel to manage children with T1D during school hours which impacts their glycemic control as they spend a substantial proportion of the daytime at school.