The Paediatric Diabetes service, Regional Hospital Mullingar recently held the formal launch of their new educational resource for children with diabetes called ERIN (Educational Resource for Irish Newly-diagnosed children). The event, held in the Mullingar Park Hotel, marked the launch of the ‘first of its kind’ structured education programme for children with diabetes in Ireland.
The programme was adapted to align with current HSE guidelines from the award-winning and quality-assured SEREN programme, developed in Wales. The new resource differs from the existing HSE Paediatric Diabetes resource pack in terms of additional detail, workbooks according to the child or adolescents’ developmental stage and use of interactive resources (magnetic storyboards). In addition, staff receive formal training in how to deliver the programme and education is designed such that it can be provided by any member of the multidisciplinary team.
When introducing the nights special guest, Irish Rugby internation Robbie Henshaw, Senior Clinical Psychologist Dr Eleanor Moran drew parallels between being an elite athlete and managing type 1 diabetes “Being an elite athlete requires discipline in every aspect of life, from managing your diet to managing your exercise, with consistency being key to success. It also requires resilience in the face of challenges, dealing with setbacks and learning to manage difficult emotions. When I think of all these qualities and skills, I immediately think about the children, adolescents and indeed parents who attend our service.”
The new resource has already proved immensely popular with enquiries from a number of paediatric diabetes services throughout the country and it is currently under consideration for national use. The Mullingar diabetes team don’t plan to rest there however with a new structured educational resource for exercise in type 1 diabetes in the works, that it is hoped will be completed during 2025.