Diabetes education program in Bulgaria

The objective of the Diabetes Education Program for Bulgaria (DEPB) was to introduce a large-scale unified structured educational program for insulin-treated diabetic patients. A total of 52 university and regional educational centers for people with diabetes and four centers for education of children with diabetes were organized. The educational course includes 10 sessions, 45min each, in 3–5 consecutive days for groups of 8–12 insulin-treated patients. To assess the effect of the DEPB on diabetes-related parameters data collection was organized in seven centers. It included 2055 patients who were allocated to education (intervention group) or not to be educated (control group). Diabetes-related parameters were measured at baseline, and patients will be followed at 6 months. Measuring the biochemical parameters, self-estimated knowledge, treatment satisfaction, burden and handling of diabetes before and after education would give the opportunity to evaluate its impact on the metabolic control and on psychological factors.