One of our successful programs at DDI is DAFNE, which is a structured education program aimed for people with type 1 diabetes. DAFNE stands for Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating, and it helps people manage and live well with their diabetes. DAFNE is an evidence-based educational program with over 60 publications. This international program can be found in the UK, Germany, Ireland, and Singapore, with DDI endorsed as the training center in the Middle East.
DAFNE is a program aimed for people with type 1 diabetes who are 18 years and above. Each course is run by two DAFNE educators who have expertise in diabetes and nutrition. Through structured education over 25 hours, participants learn how to calculate or estimate their carbohydrate intake for each meal and adjust their insulin dose based on that, plus learning self-management skills to deal with illness, hypo/hyperglycemia, and exercise. The course is interactive, and participants meet other people living with diabetes, and they learn from their experiences as well as sharing their own.
By using the skills and knowledge learned, DAFNE graduates can improve their blood glucose control. Graduates have said that it not only helped them gain better control of their blood glucose, but it also gave them the confidence to manage their diabetes better. All graduates are followed up as part of this long-term education program. It helps participants live well with diabetes, aims to allow them to lead as normal a life as possible and reduces the likelihood of long-term complications. In addition, DAFNE has been shown to improve HbA1c levels, reduce the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis episodes, and reduce hospital admissions. It also improves patient care by improving their quality of life. DAFNE allows people to fit diabetes into their lifestyle, rather than changing their lifestyle to fit in with their diabetes.
