Evaluation of an education program for Type I diabetics

This study evaluated an educational program for Type 1 diabetics located on an inpatient setting of a pediatric hospital in the western United States. To determine what effect the program had on the extent of improvement in knowledge of children and their parents, a questionnaire of current diabetes information was developed; a pretest/posttest design was used. Eighteen subjects agreed to tat the pre- and posttests and complete on open-ended questionnaire to subjectively evaluate the education they received. A paired t-test was utilized to analyze the overall gain from pre- to posttest and specific content area analysis. As a result of participation in the education program, significant improvement in knowledge took place in all content area and by all participants, children and adults. The subjective evaluation of the program by the subjects and educators determined perceived benefits, areas requiring change and the beliefs about testing new patients; these were all highly favored by the educators and participants. Some specific commendations and recommendations for change were given