By Oliver Taylor
The Effective Diabetes Education Now! programme debuted a new eLearning module last week to educate healthcare professionals on issues surrounding the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and diabetes.
Muslims with diabetes are exempt from fasting during Ramadan, but many still participate. This presents an ongoing challenge for healthcare professionals as fasting with diabetes goes against medical advice.
The programme, EDEN, has launched the Safer Ramadan eLearning module with the aim of:
– Increasing healthcare professionals’ knowledge and confidence to support and advise Muslim patients wishing to fast during Ramadan
– Providing a quick-glance guide to help risk stratify patients with diabetes wishing to fast
– Enabling healthcare professionals to tailor advice to individual needs
Ramadan takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon. As such, the exact days of Ramadan are never the same on a yearly basis.
This year, Ramadan will take place from Thursday, April 23, to Saturday, May 23.
During the holy month, Muslims will not eat or drink during the daylight hours in remembrance of the month the Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
Medical risks associated with fasting with diabetes include aggravating poor vision, heart problems and kidney issues, suffering from hypoglycaemia and inducing diabetic ketoacidosis.
After completing the module, a printable certification of completion for official CPD Certification Service accreditation will be available.
EDEN is based in the Leicester Diabetes Centre in Leicester General Hospital. It can be contacted by calling 0116 258 4674 or emailing EDEN@uhl-tr.nhs.uk.
More information can be found on the module’s webpage.
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