WINNER
Insulin Education for All: A Pop Up Online Resource
by Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
Read the case study
The free online course ‘Understanding Insulin’ was developed to benefit insulin users worldwide. There was a need to improve insulin knowledge among healthcare professionals (HCPs), people with diabetes and their carers. Insulin-related errors are common both in the UK and internationally, increasing the risk of adverse complications and poor health outcomes. In the National Diabetes Audit, 49% of patients on insulin had experienced an insulin-related error. Many HCPs across the healthcare professions are not competent with using and managing insulin. There are also gaps in insulin knowledge for people with diabetes and their carers.
Judges' comments:
"This initiative is a truly innovative approach that both bridges a gap in insulin education and can be widely disseminated across the NHS. The fact that this is a free resource that can be used internationally demonstrates the far-reaching effect of this entry. Not only was it innovative, this entry was cost-effective, sustainable and flexible."
COMMENDED
Developing World-Class D&E Training: The Health Education West Midlands Model
by Health Education West Midlands
Trainee representatives, training programme directors and the specialist training committee set out to establish a world-class diabetes and endocrinology training programme in the Health Education West Midlands Region. The methods are replicable nationally and internationally to facilitate high quality, cost-effective speciality training. Mechanisms used include: curriculum mapping of training days to ensure full content coverage; defining and standardising training representatives’ roles and responsibilities; digitising processes around training day and administration; innovative education approaches, including simulation; additional educational opportunities to promote holistic training and a COVID-19 responsive approach to training and learning, tracking trainee opportunity
Judges' comments:
"This was a simple yet effective idea that allowed registrars to continue to get teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative has the potential to change the way teaching is implemented nationally, and could easily be scaled-up to broach educational access issues across different deaneries. A fantastic, innovative approach to diabetes education!"
COMMENDED
Making Insulin Treatment Safer (MITS) Through Reflective Case-based Discussions
by Queen’s University Belfast
This project supports newly qualified doctors, final-year medical students on a pre-prescribing programme, and other insulin-prescribing professionals, to examine their insulin prescribing for inpatients via case-based discussions (CBDs). The CBDs are facilitated by a Making Insulin Treatment Safer (MITS) trained doctor, nurse, pharmacist or person with type 1 diabetes (patient advocate). The aims are to empower prescribers to: handle the inherent complexity and uncertainty of prescribing insulin; work well with different disciplines and levels of seniority; respect patients’ rights to be involved in their own care and consult other people and information.
Judges' comments:
"The judges felt that this initiative was a fabulous idea that really put patient care at the heart of its innovation. The feedback from the patient facilitators was especially great to read, and you can tell that this programme really made a difference."