Empowering Children and Families with Type One Diabetes

Pictures Credit: Cathal Noonan; 

Featured: Pictured left/right; Irene OÕ Mahony Senior Paediatric Diabetes Dietitian, Cork University Hospital (CUH); Addison Landon; Conor Cronin Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Cork University Hospital (CUH); Prof. Colin Hawkes Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist, Cork University Hospital (CUH); Aine Connelly; Reuben Power; and Annelise Hutch, Senior Dietitian in Paediatric Diabetes, Cork University Hospital (CUH)

Cork University Hospital Launches Innovative Video Series: Paediatric Diabetes Academy

Cork University Hospital (CUH) is proud to announce the launch of the Paediatric Diabetes Academy, an innovative video series designed to support children and families living with Type One Diabetes. This groundbreaking project, funded by the RTE Late Late Toy Show Appeal and CUH Charity, aims to provide accessible, engaging, and evidence-based educational resources tailored to the unique needs of young people managing diabetes.

The video series adopts a “flipped classroom” model, empowering children and families to become educators themselves. Developed by CUH's Paediatric Diabetes Multidisciplinary Team, the videos feature young individuals with Type One Diabetes sharing their experiences, which adds a personal and authentic perspective to the educational content.

“This project revolutionises how we approach diabetes education,” said Prof. Colin Hawkes, Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at CUH. “By incorporating the voices of young people and leveraging video-based learning, we hope to standardise and improve understanding, enabling families to learn at their own pace in a flexible, user-friendly format. We are delighted to bring this resource to so many families across the region.”

Key Features of the Paediatric Diabetes Academy include:

• Flexible Learning: Families can access the videos at a time and place that suits them best, making education more convenient and less stressful.
• Evidence-Based Content: The content promotes independent learning with the goal of improving knowledge retention.
• Collaborative Input: A teen advisory group of young people with Type One Diabetes provided feedback throughout production, ensuring the videos are relatable and impactful.
• Expanding Vision: The Academy is envisioned as the first step in an ongoing effort to create additional resources to empower young people and their families.

The Paediatric Diabetes Academy officially launched on Saturday, 23rd November, at a special event hosted by CUH at Devere Hall in UCC. The "Glucose Gala," which sold out with 250 tickets, was a celebration of innovation, community, and the empowerment of young people.

Families, educators, and healthcare professionals are encouraged to explore this new resource as a tool for enhanced learning and support. The full video series is now available on the CUH website www.cuh.hse.ie/paediatricdiabetes