India Diabetes Educator Project – Master Trainer Refresher Course

Since 2007, Project HOPE in cooperation with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has been implementing a diabetes educator project throughout India. India, which carries the largest case burden of adults with diabetes, has traditionally lacked medical professionals to fill the important diabetes educator role. Through the India Diabetes Educator Project (IDEP), Project HOPE is helping create a strong force of diabetes educators to help patients with diabetes learn self-management skills to live long and productive lives. Participating health centers throughout the country nominate nurses and dietitians to be trained as Master Trainers. The graduates then teach other health care workers in diabetes self management education (DSME) through a six-month distance learning approach.

In the days leading up to the World Diabetes Day celebration in New Delhi on November 14th, Project HOPE, with assistance from IDF and Canadian Diabetes Association diabetes educators, hosted a “refresher” course for the Master Trainers. Enthusiastic nurses and dietitian trainers came to New Delhi from participating health centers across the country to hone their diabetes education skills. They heard expert presentations about motivational interviewing, behavior change theory, the Conversation Map® approach, and role playing case studies. The Master Trainers will carry this knowledge back to their health centers and passing these new skills to their diabetes educator students, thus expanding the reach of DSME across India.

Story and photos by Project HOPE's Charlotte Block,MS, RD, Program Officer - Global Health Chronic Disease/Nutrition,who spent World Diabetes Day visiting HOPE program sites in India.

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