The 4 winners for “The Best Diabetes Idea” from the Diabetes Fund have been announced. They all submitted an idea to improve the health or quality of life of people with diabetes. They will receive a maximum of 50,000 euros for implementation in practice. In addition, each gets ideas will have the opportunity to compete for the Audience Award maximum 10,000.
The 4 Best Diabetes Ideas
In practice, healthcare providers notice what problems there are and what solutions can help for different forms of diabetes. These ideas can have an immediate positive effect on the health or quality of life of people with diabetes. The Diabetes Fund wants to invest in the best ideas and therefore organizes the election for The Best Diabetes Idea every other year. From the many entries, they selected the following 4 winners who will develop their idea:
Mini documentaries about lifestyle change
The idea of William Tilburgs (chairman of the Your Lifestyle as Medicine Foundation) is to make 5 inspiring mini-documentaries about lifestyle change. Tilburgs wants to portray people with type 2 diabetes who have successfully changed their lifestyle. The mini-documentaries are free and available in 5 different languages: Dutch, English, Turkish, Amazigh/Berber and Arabic.
Diabetes distress
Behiye Özcan (internist-endocrinologist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam) wants to better inform healthcare providers and people with type 2 diabetes about the prevention and consequences of diabetes distress; the negative feelings that people with type 2 diabetes can experience due to their disease. She will do this through various means of communication and presentations. Özcan wants healthcare providers to better recognize and discuss diabetes distress and, where necessary, refer to a psychologist. This way, people with diabetes distress receive the care they need.
E-learning diabetes type 1
Amber Heineman (Your Lifestyle as Medicine Foundation) wants to develop an online training for people with type 1 diabetes and healthcare professionals about how lifestyle can help in the treatment of the disease. She wants to develop this training program in the form of e-books, videos and animated films. Heijneman herself has type 1 diabetes and therefore wants to share her own positive experiences with lifestyle.
Detect diabetes with sensors
André van Beek (internist-endocrinologist at the University Medical Center Groningen) wants to use glucose sensors and insulin measurements to make a better diagnosis in people at high risk for type 2 diabetes. His idea builds on theongoing Check@Home project. Van Beek wants to expand and improve research in two ways. First of all, with a glucose sensor to measure blood sugar levels more easily and more often. The second way is to determine the HOMA index (which says something about the ratio between glucose and insulin in the blood) in order to detect people with prediabetes who are already less sensitive to insulin.
Vote!
The public can vote for the Audience Award until September 17. You can find more information and the option to cast your vote here.
Source: Diabetes Fund
