Young people with diabetes
Staying well if you have type 1 Diabetes means thinking about your diet, exercise, blood glucose levels and insulin (amongst other things). Teenage years can be difficult enough without this self-management work, and young people with type 1 Diabetes may struggle. Help is available in the NHS and from others with Diabetes but many teenagers do not engage with it, which could damage their long-term health.
In this project, User-centred Healthcare Design is working with young people with type 1 Diabetes and their families, and Rotherham Hospitals to devise a new support and information service to help teenagers fit Diabetes into their lives better.
We are using creative design workshops to design an innovative service that:
- Focuses on young people’s whole lives rather than just when they use health services;
- Joins up clinical expertise from inside the NHS and expertise in living with Diabetes from outside the NHS;
- Explores new ways of interacting with a service that are more appropriate to teenage lifestyles and exploit the benefits of digital tools, such as text messaging and social networking websites.
At the end of this project we will produce digital tools and printed materials that enable teenagers and their families to access help and support more easily. We will also propose visions of systems and services that would reduce the impact of type 1 Diabetes on young people’s lives and increase their independence in future.
