AC6772 - Prevention and management of diabetes in adults

What will I learn on this module?

The module will commence with a reflection and an analysis of your own prior skills and abilities surrounding the care of the person living with or at risk of diabetes, related to your professional practice which will be reviewed throughout the module as learning progresses.
The module will focus on the following elements:
• The delivery of safe and effective management and preventative strategies for diabetes care
• The pathophysiology of diabetes and aetiology of short- and longer-term complications
• The role of technologies for diabetes care
• Approaches to behavioural change for those living with or at risk of diabetes
• The mental health burden of the condition to the person and their significant others
• The role of clinical guidelines and practice / service structures in detecting, managing and postponing diabetes and reversing complications

Your learning will be via guided and individual study through use of interactive eLearning packages followed by a live online seminar. These will evaluate your learning by asking you to undertake formative learning exercises with feedback provided electronically and by teachers as a means to gradually develop your understanding. You will attend the live online seminars and share your learning with teachers and peers using case studies and peer discussion where you will have the opportunity to give and receive feedback and feed forward to each other.
There will be an opportunity to enhance your academic and research skills through formative assessment and access to high quality bespoke resources. The written summative assessment asks you to critically evaluate the care of the person living with diabetes and make evidence-based recommendations for practice relating to the case presented.

How will I learn on this module?

This module applies Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to remove barriers to learning and create an inclusive, flexible experience that accommodates diverse learning styles. By offering multiple ways to engage with content, varied formats for accessing and understanding material, and ample opportunities for diverse action and expression, you can develop and showcase key employability skills. Through a blend of online resources, and live seminars, the module ensures an active, authentic learning journey that supports your success in real-world contexts (UDL) (La, Dyjur, & Bair, 2018). This means learning will be via a blended delivery using a combination asynchronous (30 hours of web-based resources) and synchronous (12 hours of face-to-face online seminars) learning. A ‘flipped classroom’ approach (Bergman & Sams, 2012), promotes the front loading of theoretical content as preparatory independent study provided via online supported learning (OSL) and reading, prior to the face-to-face online seminars where your understanding of concepts and application of theory will be explored. This approach to module delivery promotes active learning as it works to accommodate your learning needs and abilities by offering flexibility and direction gained from the preparatory web-based materials which are then explored and applied during the live online seminars creating new knowledge. Offering multiple ways of learning helps you to engage along with giving you the opportunity to express your learning through action and/or expression. This encourages a positive learning environment where you are likely to feel more engaged and motivated in your learning. Authentic assessment means that any assessments throughout the module will mirror real life activities that you will be faced with in your professional practice. Authentic assessment will be an on-going key feature of the module, via tasks within the web-based materials and online simulated practice learning. These will not only support your learning of the theory related to professional practice but will also support assessment literacy through developing your skills and knowledge of the assessment process. All assessments within the programme will be operated in accordance with standard operating procedures and marked and moderated in accordance with the Assessment Regulations for Taught Awards (ARTA) ensuring the academic standards required for student awards are met.

How will I be supported academically on this module?

You will be supported by the module lead who will guide your academic learning and assessment throughout the module. The module lead was involved in developing the e-learning materials, assessment exercises, and will provide some of your live online seminars, and feedback, supported by other staff. This module is supported by Blackboard Ultra and adheres to the university’s minimum standards. The site includes module information, assessment information, power-point presentations and e-learning packages, reading lists and relevant web links. Blackboard Collaborate will be used for the delivery of the live online seminars.

A discussion board is available to the cohort, through which students can post comments and ask questions of their peers throughout the duration of the module. You will have a live online group tutorial will help you prepare for the summative assessment. Your Programme Lead and Personal Tutor are also available to offer guidance on academic support throughout the programme.

The University Libraries offer an extensive collection of material, both hard copy and electronic, access to international databases and training in information retrieval. A variety of study-skills-related help sheets, and online videos can be found on the library Skills Plus site. You can also access a range of student support and wellbeing services via Student Central or by accessing the student support and wellbeing pages and Ask4Help via your electronic student portal.

You will also have an allocated personal/guidance teacher who will provide advice and support in relation to academic, procedural, and (where desired and appropriate) personal matters during the programme of study you have enrolled on. You will have access to 24/7 generic IT support and specific support from the programme team with any specific IT issues related to the e-learning package

What will I be expected to read on this module?

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

What will I be expected to achieve?

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. You will have understood the principle determinants and risk factors in the development of type 1 and type 2 Diabetes and the pathophysiological changes associated with the condition.
2. You will have critically review and evaluate the evidence related to the management of people with or at risk of Diabetes, considering the context of current care delivery and national guidelines, with an appreciation of the complexity of management within pertinent care settings, in order to formulate strategies to inform evidence-based interventions in practice areas.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. You will have critically reviewed the contemporary evidence, developing your research skills via information retrieval to underpin your understanding of the screening, prevention, management and care delivery of people living with or at risk of diabetes mellitus.
4. You will have been enabled to develop an insight and appreciation of the role of other health professionals in the care of people with or at risk of diabetes

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. You will have analysed your own professional practice in relation to the prevention and management of diabetes in adults, identifying areas for development.

How will I be assessed?

Formative assessments
• Formative tests and quizzes will be embedded within the e-learning packages providing immediate electronic feedback which will explore medications management, patient consultation and approaches to holistic person-centred care
• Review of a patient case study from practice will inform the summative assessment with feedback being provided in a live online session
• A student -led seminar to feedback on a ‘diabetes innovation’ i.e.: a suggestion for practice to enhance diabetes prevention or management which links to the summative assessment

MLO 1 -5- Verbal peer and teacher feedback in seminar

Summative Assessment
The summative assessment strategy is designed to enable you to demonstrate your awareness of the promotion of long-term health needs of the adult with, or at risk of diabetes. This will be achieved by digital submission via Turnitin of a 2500-word case study assignment exploring and critically evaluating the evidence base for the care of a person with or at risk of diabetes, justifying the preventative and management strategies implemented.

Feedback will be given electronically via Turnitin and will include development advice for future academic work.
(MLO 1-5).

Pre-requisite(s)

To undertake this module, applicants must hold a valid current professional registration (i.e. NMC/GMC/HCPC)

Co-requisite(s)

N/A

Module abstract

The increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its associated complications means healthcare professionals across all areas of practice will encounter people living with diabetes. The module content will facilitate the development of skills, underpinned with a sound evidence base to inform holistic person-centred diabetes care.

You will develop appropriate theoretical knowledge, skills and behaviours related to diabetes care to advance your area of professional practice. You will critically explore key management concepts related to risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management, lifestyle interventions, foot care, and complications. You will engage with emerging research to explore diabetes management technologies alongside appreciating the mental health impact of living with this long-term condition, contextualised against wider socioeconomic determinants of health and inequalities, enhancing critical clinical thinking and decision-making skills. You will learn the value and application of comprehensive assessment, investigations and effective management of patients according to national standards within the context of local policies, national frameworks and guidelines.