New school guide for parents of children with diabetes

An updated manual from the federal government can help your patients who have school-age children with diabetes.

“Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel” tells parents what their child’s school needs to know about his or her diabetes, including how to manage it and how to prepare for a diabetes-related emergency. It is published by HHS’s National Diabetes Education Program, and is available for download at www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/schoolguide.

"The need to manage diabetes doesn’t go away at school," Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, stated in a press release. "The guide, quite literally, can be a lifesaver."

In its first update since 2003, the manual calls for school personnel to have a basic understanding of the disease, the needs of a child diabetic, and know the signs of a diabetic emergency. In addition, a few staff members at each school should be trained in routine and emergency diabetes care. Parents should notify school officials that a child has diabetes and work with the child’s healthcare team to develop a medical management plan.