Want your opinion to help shape future Diabetes.co.uk education programs?

[DCUK Jessica]

Hi everyone,

We're working on a new education program. As always, we're looking to build it based on the views, opinions, wants and needs of the community.If you'd like to share your ideas and opinions, you can fill in the survey here: https://www.research.net/r/QMY8RDG

Thank you!

 

[Oldvatr]

Having filled in the survey, i was left with a feeling that something was missing. I think I would like to suggest improving the online access to info, i.e. an online library with access to research data/ reports, NICE guidelines and other reference material. Thid could be just links to external sources (like the BBC does on its news page) but these sources should be 'vetted,' for validity by moderators, with possibly a ratings system. It must also be spam proof i.e.not open posting, Many times i come across embedded links posted by forum members (Ive done it too) that get stuck in the thread and these could be copied into the'library' if relevant to the general forum. But perhaps the Library will need a FACT / FICTION section (LOL)

 

[andyolly]

Prevention education is the way to go. Being pro active not re active. Get yourselves in schools & college. Teach children a out food, packaging labels etc
Our parents learnt from parents that is missing a lot mow

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hi everyone,

We're working on a new education program. As always, we're looking to build it based on the views, opinions, wants and needs of the community.If you'd like to share your ideas and opinions, you can fill in the survey here: https://www.research.net/r/QMY8RDG

Thank you!

I am having problems trying to view, the link, twice now !!

 

[Splat]

Hi everyone,

We're working on a new education program. As always, we're looking to build it based on the views, opinions, wants and needs of the community.If you'd like to share your ideas and opinions, you can fill in the survey here: https://www.research.net/r/QMY8RDG

Thank you!

Hi Jessica, just a suggestions, you might want to include foot diseases caused through diabetes. I suffer very badly with one, Charcot's foot.
I have it in both feet. 24 hours of constant pain.
Can not take more than 9 gabapentine tablets in a day, as I also suffer kidney problems. They function at less than 30%.
Would have been good to have been told of this when diagnosed.

 

[DCUK Jessica]

Having filled in the survey, i was left with a feeling that something was missing. I think I would like to suggest improving the online access to info, i.e. an online library with access to research data/ reports, NICE guidelines and other reference material. Thid could be just links to external sources (like the BBC does on its news page) but these sources should be 'vetted,' for validity by moderators, with possibly a ratings system. It must also be spam proof i.e.not open posting, Many times i come across embedded links posted by forum members (Ive done it too) that get stuck in the thread and these could be copied into the'library' if relevant to the general forum. But perhaps the Library will need a FACT / FICTION section (LOL)

Thank you for your suggestion. That's a good idea. We do compile our own sources for education programs, so certainly we'd be able to publish these in a 'download' document, for example. The idea of a vetted list of external sources is good, but might be too dynamic/fluid for an education program. Perhaps that would suit a forum thread better?

 

[DCUK Jessica]

I am having problems trying to view, the link, twice now !!

Have you had any luck, yet? We've got nearly 100 responses on it and no one else has reported a problem. But if you continue to have an issue, we can get one of the tech guys to have a look into the problem.

Please keep the suggestions for topics coming in! Foot care is a big one that we've been considering for a while.

Thank you all for your responses, it's really helpful.

 

[Oldvatr]

Have you had any luck, yet? We've got nearly 100 responses on it and no one else has reported a problem. But if you continue to have an issue, we can get one of the tech guys to have a look into the problem.

Please keep the suggestions for topics coming in! Foot care is a big one that we've been considering for a while.

Thank you all for your responses, it's really helpful.

Maybe you need to be logged in before you enter the thread? I was, and had no problem,

 

[eddie1968]

I completed the survey and thought in the exercise restriction it should have included "poorly controlled diabetes" as this can make you sleepy, tired, easily fatigued and depressed causing a lack of motivation to take adequate exercise. I remember in my very hyperglycaemic and sky high HbA1c level days taking any exercise was a struggle as I was so exhausted.

 

[Oldvatr]

Thank you for your suggestion. That's a good idea. We do compile our own sources for education programs, so certainly we'd be able to publish these in a 'download' document, for example. The idea of a vetted list of external sources is good, but might be too dynamic/fluid for an education program. Perhaps that would suit a forum thread better?

The problem with a forum thread is that you may get unvetted links being added, and is wide open to spamming (as we have seen recently) so a downloadable document may be better protected. The forum does allow links to be added anyway, but it relies on the moderators to check for commercial interests.

 

[DCUK Jessica]

The problem with a forum thread is that you may get unvetted links being added, and is wide open to spamming (as we have seen recently) so a downloadable document may be better protected. The forum does allow links to be added anyway, but it relies on the moderators to check for commercial interests.

Hi Oldvatr. Yes, good point. Well, at least as a starting point, I will ask that future education programs include a document listing the sources used.

 

[FluffyBeing]

I am hoping to understand more of the symptoms. I have had blurry vision, horrible leg cramps at night. I am having a struggle loosing weight, I get easily fatigued, sometimes I have a week bladder and seem to be constantly having bladder infections. I hate antibiotics and I just use cranberry capsules instead. The nice thing about reading in these forums is that others have similar issues. Many times doctors will not know why I have certain things happening to me

 

[Indy51]

I am hoping to understand more of the symptoms. I have had blurry vision, horrible leg cramps at night. I am having a struggle loosing weight, I get easily fatigued, sometimes I have a week bladder and seem to be constantly having bladder infections. I hate antibiotics and I just use cranberry capsules instead. The nice thing about reading in these forums is that others have similar issues. Many times doctors will not know why I have certain things happening to me

If you click on the "HOME" tab at the top left of the screen, it takes you to the main site that has many resources about Diabetes, eg. this is the information on complications:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/how-to/avoid-diabetes-complications.html

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi everyone,

We're working on a new education program. As always, we're looking to build it based on the views, opinions, wants and needs of the community.If you'd like to share your ideas and opinions, you can fill in the survey here: https://www.research.net/r/QMY8RDG

Thank you!

You say you are asking for wants and needs of the community but your survey doesn't really ask that question does it?
I see that once completed I can't go back to read the questions a second time so feedback isn't very easy. But some of the questions have too restrictive answers "Would I be prepared to pay for an online course" will obviously depend on what I will learn from it so a simple yes/ no isn't realistic.
There is a mine of information here in the forum but it is a real trial sometimes to find it. I have suggested before that new members are given a welcome pack that contain things like Daisy's intro so other forum members don't have to tag every time a new members comes in asking the same questions (as well as vetting new members to make sure they are not spammers). Maybe we should base an initial education course around the info contained in @daisy1 's intro thus getting that info over and avoiding spammers entering the site in the first place. Make the info really simple but make it a condition of joining that it has to be read with various boxes to tick. Open to thoughts.
Regards
Mark

 

[Oldvatr]

You say you are asking for wants and needs of the community but your survey doesn't really ask that question does it?
I see that once completed I can't go back to read the questions a second time so feedback isn't very easy. But some of the questions have too restrictive answers "Would I be prepared to pay for an online course" will obviously depend on what I will learn from it so a simple yes/ no isn't realistic.
There is a mine of information here in the forum but it is a real trial sometimes to find it. I have suggested before that new members are given a welcome pack that contain things like Daisy's intro so other forum members don't have to tag every time a new members comes in asking the same questions (as well as vetting new members to make sure they are not spammers). Maybe we should base an initial education course around the info contained in @daisy1 's intro thus getting that info over and avoiding spammers entering the site in the first place. Make the info really simple but make it a condition of joining that it has to be read with various boxes to tick. Open to thoughts.
Regards
Mark

Are you sugesting some form of entrance exam? We already have an intro sequence for basic info for the profile, and I would support a tick box to ask 'if this is a first access to the forum?', and this triggering a Welcome Pack so that the rest of us don't keep getting the same basic info repeating in the thread. Also I find myself checking the Newbie postings to see if Daisy1 has already given this info in another thread for this person before I add the tag to wake Daisy1 up.

What i have seen on other websites is a tab or sidebar to open up a Site Menu to assist gaining access to the Home infomation pages, similar to that which is displayed in the DCUK monthly ezine that we get. That shows current forum activity threads, which is similar to the New Posts tab. As others have said, the info is often in the archive library, but finding a relevant page while in a forum thread is not easy, The Search function defaults to the forum posts, so maybe adding an option to search library could be considered alongside the existing option for Search Titles Only?

As regards spammers, they already get past the existing intro sequence, so unless we go for CAPTUR verification, we will probably not stop the Bots. Most of the ones I have seen here seem to be human initiated. But they are easy to spot from the titles, so do not get far. The Mods are usually quick to splat them.

 

[bulkbiker]

Are you sugesting some form of entrance exam? We already have an intro sequence for basic info for the profile, and I would support a tick box to ask 'if this is a first access to the forum?', and this triggering a Welcome Pack so that the rest of us don't keep getting the same basic info repeating in the thread. Also I find myself checking the Newbie postings to see if Daisy1 has already given this info in another thread for this person before I add the tag to wake Daisy1 up.

What i have seen on other websites is a tab or sidebar to open up a Site Menu to assist gaining access to the Home infomation pages, similar to that which is displayed in the DCUK monthly ezine that we get. That shows current forum activity threads, which is similar to the New Posts tab. As others have said, the info is often in the archive library, but finding a relevant page while in a forum thread is not easy, The Search function defaults to the forum posts, so maybe adding an option to search library could be considered alongside the existing option for Search Titles Only?

As regards spammers, they already get past the existing intro sequence, so unless we go for CAPTUR verification, we will probably not stop the Bots. Most of the ones I have seen here seem to be human initiated. But they are easy to spot from the titles, so do not get far. The Mods are usually quick to splat them.

Well not an exam that you have to pass but maybe something that triggers responses that a bot wouldn't be able to get through. I'm not technically savvy enough to know if that's a possibility but might be worth a try?

 

[Oldvatr]

Well not an exam that you have to pass but maybe something that triggers responses that a bot wouldn't be able to get through. I'm not technically savvy enough to know if that's a possibility but might be worth a try?

I was 'tongue in cheek' but there is no emoji for that. Think most bots now can be programmed to get round most intro signups once the format is 'known' It takes CAPTCHA or similar visual verification HMI ro defeat a bot. However even these can be defeated by OCR softare or human farms where spcmmers copy the logo, and then use it on their own pornsite, then wait for a human to crack it for them, and then they can adjust their OCR to remove the distortion used by the original site for encryption.

 

[bulkbiker]

I was 'tongue in cheek' but there is no emoji for that. Think most bots now can be programmed to get round most intro signups once the format is 'known' It takes CAPTCHA or similar visual verification HMI ro defeat a bot. However even these can be defeated by OCR softare or human farms where spcmmers copy the logo, and then use it on their own pornsite, then wait for a human to crack it for them, and then they can adjust their OCR to remove the distortion used by the original site for encryption.

Wow ok so maybe not then.. there just seem to more coming on the site these days.. agree the mods are very good at picking them up and booting them off but thought an early filter may be feasible. And yes I thought you were tongue in cheek..

 

[Struma]

Hi everyone,

We're working on a new education program. As always, we're looking to build it based on the views, opinions, wants and needs of the community.If you'd like to share your ideas and opinions, you can fill in the survey here: https://www.research.net/r/QMY8RDG

Thank you!

Survey completed. Feedback as follows:
The survey appears to be very weighted towards the food side of things?? This isn't clear in your introductory post.
This begs the question exactly what your education program is intending to cover, I didn't get a feel for the totality of it from the survey, generally.
I think the rewards questions are... Unnecessary.
With the website covering the whole of the U.K., I feel you should include SIGN references and guidelines, as well as NICE ones, one needs to be inclusive of our friends North of the Border.

 

[Brunneria]

The problem with a forum thread is that you may get unvetted links being added, and is wide open to spamming (as we have seen recently) so a downloadable document may be better protected. The forum does allow links to be added anyway, but it relies on the moderators to check for commercial interests.

@DCUK Jessica

Maybe a forum thread that is locked by Admin, where people submit links for vetting, to be uploaded by Admin?

If the thread were left open, the links would soon be lost under comments discussion and criticism, whereas a locked sticky thread would always be available and could be updated where necessary.