Online diabetes education: design and evaluation with prospective diabetes camp counsellors

An educational Website was designed by the Florida Initiative in Telehealth and Education group, and an online diabetes education test was developed using a sample of 60 children and young adults aged 8-22 years, all of whom had diabetes. The 31 items were analysed for item difficulty. Eight test items were eliminated as being unsuitable. The test was then used in 67 prospective diabetes counsellors (23 men, 44 women) who volunteered for a summer camp. Camp counsellors ranged in age from 17 to 33 years (mean 22 years, SD 3). The counsellors' mean pre-test scores were 80% and their mean post-test scores were 92%. There was a significant improvement (P < 0.001) of approximately 1.25 questions from pre- to post-test. This supports the use of the online educational Website for training individuals working with children with diabetes. The Website may prove to be useful for online education in other areas of diabetes management.