Recent Posts by Simon - DAFNE Online

Aug 21, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps

Hi all, you can now get the DAFNE Online iPhone app from the App store. Search for 'DAFNE' on the store or click this link.

As always, let us know via the forums or contact us section if there is anything you would like adding to the app, or if you find any bugs in it.

Simon

Aug 20, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / The Hospital - Channel 4

Yep I just gave this a watch on 4OD, after seeing this topic and also being in the 15-25 age bracket (for another few months at least...) I was interested.

I wasn't surprised by the overall theme of the show - I think it was to give young people with diabetes (and their parents) a kick up the backside to better manage their diabetes. That said they could have explained better the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 - I think someone who wasn't diabetic might walk away from the show thinking that there was only one type of diabetes and you only get it if you're overweight.

It also showed all 'young' diabetics as being unruly and unwilling to manage their condition, I bet for every person they showed there are at least 10 who are well controlled, but showing this wouldn't make for good TV.

It may be that a structured eduction course for teens might help this situation. I found with DAFNE that one of the most rewarding parts was sharing experiences and advice with other people with the condition, and I think it has helped me stay on track. Being able to talk to other young people who are dealing with it may inspire/help those who aren't well controlled to think about their diabetes more.

Aug 19, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / Forum improvments

Hi Andy - you raise a good point there, it makes sense that you see the newest post when you look at a topic. We'll update the site and let you know when it's done.

Simon

Aug 18, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Blood Glucose Diary

Hi, moved to General Discussion forum.

Aug 17, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / New Meter Upload Development

Yep, onetouch ultrasmart

Aug 14, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / Online BG Diaries

Karl - good spot, thanks for that - that's now rectified.

Aug 14, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / Online BG Diaries

Garry - apologies for the delay in replying to you, I've been concentrating on the iPhone app, but now that is almost done I can revert to improving the diary on the site. You're right that request is a lot of work, but I will definitely take a look at it and see how far I can take it!

Kate - First of all congratulations on your pregnancy! You raise some good points about the colour schemes and I'll certainly make some changes to make them more accessible for people who are colour blind/partially sighted.

Simon

Aug 7, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes.............

Jenny - yes I've only had it for 4 years but I often forget if I've taken my insulin, as it has become second nature to me now. One time I made a mistake and injected twice - then a couple of hours later had to eat nearly a whole packet of jelly babies to correct! Not making that mistake again...

Aug 6, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Simple Form to assist Meal CP Calculation

Hi All,

Is there anything in these spreadsheets that would be of benefit to the DAFNE Online diary? Always keen to improve....

Simon

Aug 4, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / DAFNE Online iPhone application - help with content/design needed

Hi all - I've copied this from another topic on the Carb Counting forum, but thought it was relevant to this one too...

Well the DAFNE Online iPhone app is ready - however we've hit a small problem. The DAFNE Central team aren't keen on releasing the carb list in 'app' form without users paying for it. We're campaigning for it to be a free app, and whether we will be allowed to distribute the carbs list in an app for free will be decided at a DAFNE Executive meeting on 30th September.

As we don't want to keep you waiting for another 2 months or more - I'd like to get your opinion on the best course of action.

As it stands we could release the app, which allows you to enter and view your DAFNE Diary entries, as well as uploading these entries to your DAFNE Online account so that you can view them in graphical form and share with other users. You can also specify your own targets within the app, and BG results are colour coded according to those targets. Although the carbs list is implemented, we would have to lock it out and simply provide a link to the online carbs list we have here, until the DAFNE Executive make their decision.

Option two - we can wait until after september 30th for a decision from the DAFNE Executive as to whether the carbs list can be in a free version of the app. If the answer is no, we will create two versions of the app - one a paid for version containing the carbs list on your iPhone, the other without the carbs list, but for free.

Apologies for the complication - it is out of our hands at the moment, however your opinions on the above options would be gratefully received.

Answers on a postcard please (or just reply to this topic ;) )

Aug 4, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps

Hi Karl,

Not sure on price as yet... As I say we (the DAFNE Online team) would like to keep it free if at all possible.

Simon

Aug 3, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps

Hi all,

Well the DAFNE Online iPhone app is ready - however we've hit a small problem. The DAFNE Central team aren't keen on releasing the carb list in 'app' form without users paying for it. We're campaigning for it to be a free app, and whether we will be allowed to distribute the carbs list in an app for free will be decided at a DAFNE Executive meeting on 30th September.

As we don't want to keep you waiting for another 2 months or more - I'd like to get your opinion on the best course of action.

As it stands we could release the app, which allows you to enter and view your DAFNE Diary entries, as well as uploading these entries to your DAFNE Online account so that you can view them in graphical form and share with other users. You can also specify your own targets within the app, and BG results are colour coded according to those targets. Although the carbs list is implemented, we would have to lock it out and simply provide a link to the online carbs list we have here, until the DAFNE Executive make their decision.

Option two - we can wait until after september 30th for a decision from the DAFNE Executive as to whether the carbs list can be in a free version of the app. If the answer is no, we will create two versions of the app - one a paid for version containing the carbs list on your iPhone, the other without the carbs list, but for free.

Apologies for the complication - it is out of our hands at the moment, however your opinions on the above options would be gratefully received.

Answers on a postcard please (or just reply to this topic ;) )

Jul 25, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile Feature Requests

Hi Alex,

What phone do you have? We're currently working on an iPhone app which contains a diary and carb list.

Thanks,

Simon

Jul 18, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps

Hi Jenna/all

I'm currently finishing the first cut of the DAFNE Online iPhone app. It's pretty much done, with the following functionality:

Searchable DAFNE CP List split into categories
Blood Glucose Diary with the ability to specify your own targets for each entry type
Upload your BG diary to the DAFNE Online site so you can view Graphs, etc

I'm currently finishing off the upload functionality and that should be done in the next couple of weeks. We're also working with DAFNE Central to get hold of the latest CP list so that we can incorporate this into the app. There are a few issues there that we're trying to iron out - will keep you updated on progress on that.

When the above two points are resolved the app will be ready, and after it's checked by apple should be available on the App store. All in all I think it should be done in a month or so.

Simon

Jun 29, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Picnics (grr)

Hi Jo, from reading other threads on the forums (and my own experiences) it seems that if your BG is above 10mmol/l then the normal DAFNE Rules of 1 unit of QA to drop it down by 2-3 mmol/l doesn't apply - you need a bit more insulin. I'd say try giving 1 extra unit, and add as necessary and see how you go.

Jun 22, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Calling all budding artists!

Hi Anil,

Great work - these look really good, I especially like the last one you did (Redesign 3). Do you think there could be a smaller version (say half the height, same width) that we could use in the top navigation bar?

Cheers,

Simon

Jun 22, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Chinese Takeaway.

Hi Oldtulip, as the guys have already mentioned - your diary is a bit off as you seem to have the incorrect times. When inputting your diary entries the idea is to use the time that you took your BG/Insulin/CPs rather than the time you are recording the results. This will give you a better view of trends during the day, and possibly allow others to help you spot the trends too.

Simon

Jun 19, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Calling all budding artists!

Hi again, here's an idea we've had from Mossitizer - let us know your thoughts!

Jun 18, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Calling all budding artists!

As Mark and I are IT people, we are pretty artistically challenged, so need your help to design a new logo for DAFNE Online. The logo should be in keeping with DAFNE themes, and will appear in the upcoming DAFNE Online iPhone app as well as the site.

If you do have an idea in mind then share it with us here, or email [email protected] - you help is much appreciated!

Simon

Jun 15, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Collaborative 2010

The DAFNE Collaborative for 2010 took place on Friday 11th June at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The event was attended by DAFNE Educators from around the UK, Ireland and Australia, as well as other stakeholders from Diabetes UK, the DAFNE User Action Group (DUAG) and DAFNE Online. This event is aimed at updating the DAFNE community on new research and DAFNE guidelines.

The day began with a welcome from Professor Stephanie Amiel, who chairs the DAFNE Executive. She informed us that DAFNE was celebrating itâ€™s 10th birthday this year, and that it has gone from strength to strength, with over 16,000 people having taken the course since itâ€™s inception. Another notable fact was the number of countries following the DAFNE programme, with those countries being the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, South Africa, Nigeria and Kuwait.

Stephanie then handed over to Peter Rogers from the DAFNE User Action Group (DUAG) and myself (Simon Fisher) from DAFNE Online. Peter kicked off the presentation by informing delegates of the formation and purpose of the DUAG, and then went on to discuss in detail the four streams of work that the group is concentrating on in the future, these being the Liaison, Awareness, Lobbying and Involvement groups. Simon then went on to discuss DAFNE Online, including its aims, features and benefits to DAFNE users. After this Peter wrapped up the presentation, inviting attendees to discuss amongst themselves a set of questions related to the presentation that they had just seen. These questions and answers will be detailed here when DAFNE Central has collated them. In the final part of this session, delegates were invited to ask questions of the two speakers. The majority of these questions came in the form of enhancement requests for DAFNE Online, and these are summarised below:

â€¢ DAFNE Online agreed to produce a Video and DVD to give to HCPâ€™s and post online by way of an introduction to the site, so that educators who arenâ€™t comfortable with IT are able to showcase the site to their Graduates.
â€¢ An enhancement to the Online Diary so that users can specify whether the BG entries are colour coded according to target, as some users may not want to see this information.
â€¢ When users receive a message online, they would like to be emailed about this.
â€¢ We may look to hosting questionnaires for the various DAFNE Centres around follow-up reviews, with the aim of increasing user response.

Feedback from this presentation was very positive, and a great number of delegates were enthusiastic about the DUAG and DAFNE Online.

Following this presentation, Dr. Ian Lawrence presented research on a comparison of different basal insulins. This research focused on insulin usage and HBA1C both during the DAFNE Course and 1 year on, comparing this data for three main types of basal insulin. The results from this research will be published to the DAFNE UK site shortly.

After Ianâ€™s presentation there followed a coffee break, where DAFNE Online had a table and presentation running in the coffee area. We were inundated with visitors to the DAFNE Online table, with around 15 delegates signing up to the site during and after the break, some from DAFNE centres that previously had no educator coverage on the site. A number of delegates were also interested in viewing a preview of the DAFNE Online iPhone app, which Simon had on his iPhone. Again, feedback on this was very positive.

There then followed more presentations on recent research in Type 1 and DAFNE, but due to the overwhelming number of visitors to the DAFNE Online table, I missed out on these. The slides/content from these will shortly be posted on the DAFNE UK site for those who are interested.

After a delicious buffet lunch, the afternoon sessions commenced. These were a number of workshops around different topics related to DAFNE. Again, as I could only attend one of these, the information/results of the other sessions can be found on the DAFNE UK site.

The workshop that I attended was focused on uncovering the issues involved in setting up a Type 1 Diabetes service based on DAFNE, and was imaginatively titled â€œCommissioning for Type 1 Diabetes: an intergalactic extravaganzaâ€. The aim of the session was to document to the ruler of a newly discovered planet (ENFAD) the requirements for a Type 1 diabetes service, focusing on five key phases: diagnosis, first year after diagnosis, the DAFNE course, first year after DAFNE and ongoing care and each section was further subdivided into glucose and non-glucose considerations.

Participants were invited to discuss and compose a list of standards that each patient would get in each of the five phases, given unlimited resources. Common themes were: 24/7 access to DAFNE-trained educators, consistent care wherever you were in the country, as well as many others. We than had to decide where and how these services were going to be delivered, and it was decided that the key people in the management of Glucose-related issues would be the Diabetic Specialist Nurses, supported by Specialist Dieticians and Doctors, whereas the Non-Glucose related issues (foot screening for example) would take place in Primary Care.

The aim of the session was to give attendees an insight into the difficulties and challenges in setting up a Type 1 Diabetes service based on DAFNE, and as it turned out there is a lot to think and work with which isnâ€™t always apparent to the DAFNE Graduate.

After a wrap-up and review of the workshops, the day was over. It was very enjoyable to meet and network with a wide variety of DAFNE stakeholders. Furthermore, it was great to hear all of the positive feedback and suggestions for new things to do with DAFNE Online, and Iâ€™m grateful to DAFNE Central for inviting us along.

Jun 15, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: Site Development / Online BG Diaries

Hi Derek - added that one for you.

Thanks,

Simon

Jun 10, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / chocoholic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nope, not at all! And none of that cardboard-like diabetic chocolate either, only the real thing will do!

Jun 5, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Holidays and Insulin

I meant I bought it 4 years ago, not 15 Smile

Jun 2, 2010

Simon 578 posts

Topic: General Discussion / Holidays and Insulin

I second Karl's link to frio - they are fantastic bits of kit. You can fold them up when not in use (the crystals inside dry up in a couple of days) and they are great at keeping insulin cool. As they only require water to activate you can even top them up when out and about (I used drinking water fountains in Germany, worked fine).

Well worth it for the fifteen quid I spent on it 15 years ago.

Cheers,

Simon

Aug 21, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps Hi all, you can now get the DAFNE Online iPhone app from the App store. Search for 'DAFNE' on the store or click this link. As always, let us know via the forums or contact us section if there is anything you would like adding to the app, or if you find any bugs in it. Simon

Aug 20, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / The Hospital - Channel 4 Yep I just gave this a watch on 4OD, after seeing this topic and also being in the 15-25 age bracket (for another few months at least...) I was interested. I wasn't surprised by the overall theme of the show - I think it was to give young people with diabetes (and their parents) a kick up the backside to better manage their diabetes. That said they could have explained better the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 - I think someone who wasn't diabetic might walk away from the show thinking that there was only one type of diabetes and you only get it if you're overweight. It also showed all 'young' diabetics as being unruly and unwilling to manage their condition, I bet for every person they showed there are at least 10 who are well controlled, but showing this wouldn't make for good TV. It may be that a structured eduction course for teens might help this situation. I found with DAFNE that one of the most rewarding parts was sharing experiences and advice with other people with the condition, and I think it has helped me stay on track. Being able to talk to other young people who are dealing with it may inspire/help those who aren't well controlled to think about their diabetes more.

Aug 19, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / Forum improvments Hi Andy - you raise a good point there, it makes sense that you see the newest post when you look at a topic. We'll update the site and let you know when it's done. Simon

Aug 18, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Blood Glucose Diary Hi, moved to General Discussion forum.

Aug 17, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / New Meter Upload Development Yep, onetouch ultrasmart

Aug 14, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / Online BG Diaries Karl - good spot, thanks for that - that's now rectified.

Aug 14, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / Online BG Diaries Garry - apologies for the delay in replying to you, I've been concentrating on the iPhone app, but now that is almost done I can revert to improving the diary on the site. You're right that request is a lot of work, but I will definitely take a look at it and see how far I can take it! Kate - First of all congratulations on your pregnancy! You raise some good points about the colour schemes and I'll certainly make some changes to make them more accessible for people who are colour blind/partially sighted. Simon

Aug 7, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Diabetes............. Jenny - yes I've only had it for 4 years but I often forget if I've taken my insulin, as it has become second nature to me now. One time I made a mistake and injected twice - then a couple of hours later had to eat nearly a whole packet of jelly babies to correct! Not making that mistake again...

Aug 6, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Simple Form to assist Meal CP Calculation Hi All, Is there anything in these spreadsheets that would be of benefit to the DAFNE Online diary? Always keen to improve.... Simon

Aug 4, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / DAFNE Online iPhone application - help with content/design needed Hi all - I've copied this from another topic on the Carb Counting forum, but thought it was relevant to this one too... Well the DAFNE Online iPhone app is ready - however we've hit a small problem. The DAFNE Central team aren't keen on releasing the carb list in 'app' form without users paying for it. We're campaigning for it to be a free app, and whether we will be allowed to distribute the carbs list in an app for free will be decided at a DAFNE Executive meeting on 30th September. As we don't want to keep you waiting for another 2 months or more - I'd like to get your opinion on the best course of action. As it stands we could release the app, which allows you to enter and view your DAFNE Diary entries, as well as uploading these entries to your DAFNE Online account so that you can view them in graphical form and share with other users. You can also specify your own targets within the app, and BG results are colour coded according to those targets. Although the carbs list is implemented, we would have to lock it out and simply provide a link to the online carbs list we have here, until the DAFNE Executive make their decision. Option two - we can wait until after september 30th for a decision from the DAFNE Executive as to whether the carbs list can be in a free version of the app. If the answer is no, we will create two versions of the app - one a paid for version containing the carbs list on your iPhone, the other without the carbs list, but for free. Apologies for the complication - it is out of our hands at the moment, however your opinions on the above options would be gratefully received. Answers on a postcard please (or just reply to this topic ;) )

Aug 4, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps Hi Karl, Not sure on price as yet... As I say we (the DAFNE Online team) would like to keep it free if at all possible. Simon

Aug 3, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps Hi all, Well the DAFNE Online iPhone app is ready - however we've hit a small problem. The DAFNE Central team aren't keen on releasing the carb list in 'app' form without users paying for it. We're campaigning for it to be a free app, and whether we will be allowed to distribute the carbs list in an app for free will be decided at a DAFNE Executive meeting on 30th September. As we don't want to keep you waiting for another 2 months or more - I'd like to get your opinion on the best course of action. As it stands we could release the app, which allows you to enter and view your DAFNE Diary entries, as well as uploading these entries to your DAFNE Online account so that you can view them in graphical form and share with other users. You can also specify your own targets within the app, and BG results are colour coded according to those targets. Although the carbs list is implemented, we would have to lock it out and simply provide a link to the online carbs list we have here, until the DAFNE Executive make their decision. Option two - we can wait until after september 30th for a decision from the DAFNE Executive as to whether the carbs list can be in a free version of the app. If the answer is no, we will create two versions of the app - one a paid for version containing the carbs list on your iPhone, the other without the carbs list, but for free. Apologies for the complication - it is out of our hands at the moment, however your opinions on the above options would be gratefully received. Answers on a postcard please (or just reply to this topic ;) )

Jul 25, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: DAFNE Online Mobile / Mobile Feature Requests Hi Alex, What phone do you have? We're currently working on an iPhone app which contains a diary and carb list. Thanks, Simon

Jul 18, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Iphone Apps Hi Jenna/all I'm currently finishing the first cut of the DAFNE Online iPhone app. It's pretty much done, with the following functionality: Searchable DAFNE CP List split into categories Blood Glucose Diary with the ability to specify your own targets for each entry type Upload your BG diary to the DAFNE Online site so you can view Graphs, etc I'm currently finishing off the upload functionality and that should be done in the next couple of weeks. We're also working with DAFNE Central to get hold of the latest CP list so that we can incorporate this into the app. There are a few issues there that we're trying to iron out - will keep you updated on progress on that. When the above two points are resolved the app will be ready, and after it's checked by apple should be available on the App store. All in all I think it should be done in a month or so. Simon

Jun 29, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Carbohydrate Counting / Picnics (grr) Hi Jo, from reading other threads on the forums (and my own experiences) it seems that if your BG is above 10mmol/l then the normal DAFNE Rules of 1 unit of QA to drop it down by 2-3 mmol/l doesn't apply - you need a bit more insulin. I'd say try giving 1 extra unit, and add as necessary and see how you go.

Jun 22, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Calling all budding artists! Hi Anil, Great work - these look really good, I especially like the last one you did (Redesign 3). Do you think there could be a smaller version (say half the height, same width) that we could use in the top navigation bar? Cheers, Simon

Jun 22, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Chinese Takeaway. Hi Oldtulip, as the guys have already mentioned - your diary is a bit off as you seem to have the incorrect times. When inputting your diary entries the idea is to use the time that you took your BG/Insulin/CPs rather than the time you are recording the results. This will give you a better view of trends during the day, and possibly allow others to help you spot the trends too. Simon

Jun 19, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Calling all budding artists! Hi again, here's an idea we've had from Mossitizer - let us know your thoughts!

Jun 18, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Calling all budding artists! As Mark and I are IT people, we are pretty artistically challenged, so need your help to design a new logo for DAFNE Online. The logo should be in keeping with DAFNE themes, and will appear in the upcoming DAFNE Online iPhone app as well as the site. If you do have an idea in mind then share it with us here, or email [email protected] - you help is much appreciated! Simon

Jun 15, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / DAFNE Collaborative 2010 The DAFNE Collaborative for 2010 took place on Friday 11th June at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The event was attended by DAFNE Educators from around the UK, Ireland and Australia, as well as other stakeholders from Diabetes UK, the DAFNE User Action Group (DUAG) and DAFNE Online. This event is aimed at updating the DAFNE community on new research and DAFNE guidelines. The day began with a welcome from Professor Stephanie Amiel, who chairs the DAFNE Executive. She informed us that DAFNE was celebrating itâ€™s 10th birthday this year, and that it has gone from strength to strength, with over 16,000 people having taken the course since itâ€™s inception. Another notable fact was the number of countries following the DAFNE programme, with those countries being the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, South Africa, Nigeria and Kuwait. Stephanie then handed over to Peter Rogers from the DAFNE User Action Group (DUAG) and myself (Simon Fisher) from DAFNE Online. Peter kicked off the presentation by informing delegates of the formation and purpose of the DUAG, and then went on to discuss in detail the four streams of work that the group is concentrating on in the future, these being the Liaison, Awareness, Lobbying and Involvement groups. Simon then went on to discuss DAFNE Online, including its aims, features and benefits to DAFNE users. After this Peter wrapped up the presentation, inviting attendees to discuss amongst themselves a set of questions related to the presentation that they had just seen. These questions and answers will be detailed here when DAFNE Central has collated them. In the final part of this session, delegates were invited to ask questions of the two speakers. The majority of these questions came in the form of enhancement requests for DAFNE Online, and these are summarised below: â€¢ DAFNE Online agreed to produce a Video and DVD to give to HCPâ€™s and post online by way of an introduction to the site, so that educators who arenâ€™t comfortable with IT are able to showcase the site to their Graduates. â€¢ An enhancement to the Online Diary so that users can specify whether the BG entries are colour coded according to target, as some users may not want to see this information. â€¢ When users receive a message online, they would like to be emailed about this. â€¢ We may look to hosting questionnaires for the various DAFNE Centres around follow-up reviews, with the aim of increasing user response. Feedback from this presentation was very positive, and a great number of delegates were enthusiastic about the DUAG and DAFNE Online. Following this presentation, Dr. Ian Lawrence presented research on a comparison of different basal insulins. This research focused on insulin usage and HBA1C both during the DAFNE Course and 1 year on, comparing this data for three main types of basal insulin. The results from this research will be published to the DAFNE UK site shortly. After Ianâ€™s presentation there followed a coffee break, where DAFNE Online had a table and presentation running in the coffee area. We were inundated with visitors to the DAFNE Online table, with around 15 delegates signing up to the site during and after the break, some from DAFNE centres that previously had no educator coverage on the site. A number of delegates were also interested in viewing a preview of the DAFNE Online iPhone app, which Simon had on his iPhone. Again, feedback on this was very positive. There then followed more presentations on recent research in Type 1 and DAFNE, but due to the overwhelming number of visitors to the DAFNE Online table, I missed out on these. The slides/content from these will shortly be posted on the DAFNE UK site for those who are interested. After a delicious buffet lunch, the afternoon sessions commenced. These were a number of workshops around different topics related to DAFNE. Again, as I could only attend one of these, the information/results of the other sessions can be found on the DAFNE UK site. The workshop that I attended was focused on uncovering the issues involved in setting up a Type 1 Diabetes service based on DAFNE, and was imaginatively titled â€œCommissioning for Type 1 Diabetes: an intergalactic extravaganzaâ€. The aim of the session was to document to the ruler of a newly discovered planet (ENFAD) the requirements for a Type 1 diabetes service, focusing on five key phases: diagnosis, first year after diagnosis, the DAFNE course, first year after DAFNE and ongoing care and each section was further subdivided into glucose and non-glucose considerations. Participants were invited to discuss and compose a list of standards that each patient would get in each of the five phases, given unlimited resources. Common themes were: 24/7 access to DAFNE-trained educators, consistent care wherever you were in the country, as well as many others. We than had to decide where and how these services were going to be delivered, and it was decided that the key people in the management of Glucose-related issues would be the Diabetic Specialist Nurses, supported by Specialist Dieticians and Doctors, whereas the Non-Glucose related issues (foot screening for example) would take place in Primary Care. The aim of the session was to give attendees an insight into the difficulties and challenges in setting up a Type 1 Diabetes service based on DAFNE, and as it turned out there is a lot to think and work with which isnâ€™t always apparent to the DAFNE Graduate. After a wrap-up and review of the workshops, the day was over. It was very enjoyable to meet and network with a wide variety of DAFNE stakeholders. Furthermore, it was great to hear all of the positive feedback and suggestions for new things to do with DAFNE Online, and Iâ€™m grateful to DAFNE Central for inviting us along.

Jun 15, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: Site Development / Online BG Diaries Hi Derek - added that one for you. Thanks, Simon

Jun 10, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / chocoholic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nope, not at all! And none of that cardboard-like diabetic chocolate either, only the real thing will do!

Jun 5, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Holidays and Insulin I meant I bought it 4 years ago, not 15

Jun 2, 2010 Simon 578 posts	Topic: General Discussion / Holidays and Insulin I second Karl's link to frio - they are fantastic bits of kit. You can fold them up when not in use (the crystals inside dry up in a couple of days) and they are great at keeping insulin cool. As they only require water to activate you can even top them up when out and about (I used drinking water fountains in Germany, worked fine). Well worth it for the fifteen quid I spent on it 15 years ago. Cheers, Simon