UWL Diabetes Forum discusses managing the condition in disadvantaged populations
Intro
The UWL Diabetes Forum Conference 2023 took place on Tuesday 21 November, bringing together around 150 lecturers, students and healthcare practitioners for an afternoon of presentations and discussions. This is the second time UWL has held this bi-annual conference, which this time focused on the management of diabetes in disadvantaged populations.
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The programme included speakers from primary and acute care settings, education and the community, sharing their expertise and experience.
Introducing the online event, Professor Anthony Woodman, Provost and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of West London, said:
I am really happy to support this event which serves as a catalyst to deliberate on a problem that affects many people and thereby make a difference to the lives of people living with diabetes in the community we serve and beyond.”
Professor Woodman is a key supporter of the UWL Diabetes Forum and its activities, including the conference.
Professor Muili Lawal of UWL's College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare, who is the founder and chair of the Diabetes Forum, gave presentations on supporting people with diabetes in prison as well as considering treatment for people with mental health and learning disabilities.
There's a lot of literature about diabetes generally, but the people tend to concentrate on the general population and people with mental health problems and learning difficulties get neglected,”
Professor Lawal explained.
Type 2 diabetes is a major health threat which continues to grow in both developed and developing countries, according to the World Health Organisation. It requires serious management through diet and lifestyle changes. Nurse Educator Laura Nice spoke about her study on nurses’ knowledge of diabetes, which showed evidence that many nurses still do not possess adequate knowledge about the condition.
Some responses suggested that nurses are not as confident as we would expect in handling common issues around diabetes,”
Professor Lawal continued, adding that greater awareness is obviously a key concern for educators going forward.
The conference saw attendees engaged in lively discussion around the issues. One participant, Elizabeth Cain, congratulated Professor Lawal for bringing together professionals from different backgrounds to share their perspectives, adding:
Thank you for considering the health of disadvantaged people who also suffer from diabetes and other conditions.”
Professor Lawal says that in two years’ time, he hopes to organise an in-person event for the next conference, to build on the supportive network that the forum has created.
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