Diabetes in the News
Keeping Kids With Diabetes Safe at School: A Study From Virginia
Helping children with type 1 diabetes manage their disease during the school day can be done safely and effectively by non-medical personnel, a study in Virginia schools has shown. The study followed legislation passed in 1999 that required Virginia schools to train at least two instructional, administrative or other employees how to administer insulin and glucagon.
Surveys conducted among the parents of Central Virginia school children in the wake of this new law found that blood glucose monitoring, insulin administration and the treatment of low blood glucose episodes could be safely handled by a variety of school personnel, as well as school nurses.
“Children with diabetes spend up to half their waking hours under the supervision of the school system,” said lead researcher Dr. William L. Clarke, of the University of Virginia Department of Pediatrics. “Knowing that their diabetes can be managed safely by a variety of trained adults can be reassuring to parents, care providers, and school administrators. The Virginia legislation is a model for how non-medical personnel can be used when school nurses are unavailable.” Source
—
Resources:
dLife; About Diabetes.com; American Diabetes Association
Diabetes; 
Type 1 Diabetes; 
Type 2 Diabetes
