Outpatient management of childhood diabetes: experience of a pediatric diabetes clinic at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh

ABSTRACT

This article described the first 4 years' experience of a clinica for children with diabetes which was established in 1983 and was run by a team. Sixty children below 12 years of age were registered during this period, 34 boys and 26 girls. All the patients and their parents were given an educational program at first contact and thereafter, an even the illiterate parents were trained early. Variations in the availability of insulin's and/or insulin syringes created confusion among parents. Dietary misconceptions were common, and dietary instructions were more difficult to impose than elsewhere; as a result, almost 31.1% of children were on a free diet. Almost 94% of patients were trained on home blood glucose monitoring. Out of 45 patients analyzed, 26 [61.9%] were doing it regularly and 12 [28.6%] irregularly; four [9.5%]had stopped is completely. In none of the patients was urine testing [stopped completely. The mean glycoasted hemoglobin in the patients was 11.5%. Parnets' training and a phone call system helped prevent hospitalization of children. On the basis of this experience, a series of recommendations have been formulated to assist children and their parents in the management of childhood diabetes