Diabetes Health Care and Education — The Challenge of Isolation

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Abstract
Many rural diabetes educators feel isolated professionally. Access to resources, skilled peers and opportunities for ongoing education may be lacking or not known. Rural diabetes educators often have multiple roles and may be confused about their responsibilities in specific areas. Geographic and professional isolation and lack of role definition may prevent appropriate diabetes care. Some sole educators in metropolitan hospitals also experience lack of support and interaction with their peers, A survey was designed to identify and address the issues facing isolated educators, determine the proportion of diabetes educators who consider themselves isolated, identify the reasons for isolation and the difficulties which result from isolation, and elicit suggestions for addressing the problems identified. Reasons given for isolation included professional isolation, distance, lack of resources and lack of network/support. The most frequently suggested methods of decreasing isolation were networking, regional meetings, teleconferences, distance education and provision of a practice manual. Professionals working in isolated areas of Australia need organised continuing medical education, quality assurance programs, systems for networking and access to expert advice. Modem information technology, distance education programs and models for effective networking offer the potential to meet these needs.

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