Living with diabetes: a student experience to enhance knowledge and assess attitudes
Academic Year:
2012 - 2013 (June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013)
Funding Requested:
$500.00
Project Dates:
-
Overview of the Project:
Diabetes prevalence has been increasing rapidly in the United States and worldwide. It is estimated that more than 26 million Americans are affected. This chronic disease when uncontrolled can lead to devastating complications and costs billions in health care dollars. For those living with diabetes, the disease requires continuous self-management, touching every aspect of life. Students will encounter people with diabetes in every clinical setting as well as their personal life and throughout their career. Having an understanding of living with chronic disease through the life cycle is imperative. Our aim is to provide students with a ‘lived experience' of diabetes in addition to the standard didactic content. They will take on a persona of a person with diabetes and practice self-management skills within the confines of a simulated environment. Faculty will provide sample challenges via text messaging to simulate various situations encountered by someone living with diabetes, for example: challenges with food intake, medications, and fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Students will be asked to problem solve the situation as if they were living with diabetes. There will be no actual use of medication or injection of any kind. Students will journal about their experiences and will be tested pre and post experience about diabetes knowledge and attitudes using previously validated tests.