Building Competency in Diabetes Education THE ESSENTIALS

SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION & SUPPORT: PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT| 11-33

4. Get the timing right. • Practice to keep yourself within an appropriate time frame. Make note of where you plan to be at what time — e.g. slide 25 at 11:00 am, slide 35 at 11:15 am. Have someone in the audience prompt you with the time. • If your content is too long, pare it down. Identify elements that are extraneous and can be eliminated, or alter your method. • Have an alternate plan so that you can stop earlier if need be. • Plan for a five- to 10-minute break or change of pace after each 45- to 50-minute lecture session. Self-learning manuals and technological systems The rapid expansion of communication technology has dramatically altered the field of independent guided learning. John Piette has done considerable work in the field of mobile health technology looking at the integration of behaviour change technology into the field of diabetes self-management. He refers to these diverse interventions as interactive behaviour change technologies (IBCTs), which include hardware and software that promote and sustain behaviour change (40). Examples are personal assistive devices, patient-centered websites, automated phone calls, telemedicine and apps (40). Several authors have discussed new technologies using the term ‘consumer-facing technologies’. These would include programs that support glucose pattern management, telemonitoring systems, and apps for mobile devices that encourage positive health behaviours (41). Most of these technologies have embedded behaviour change strategies to engage the consumer. One such model that is used frequently by consumer technology designers and is now being applied to health technology is Fogg’s Behaviour Model (42). Fogg postulates that behaviour is the result of motivation, ability and a trigger. “All three elements must converge in the same moment when patients use a technology for a health behaviour or outcome to occur” (41). Fogg uses motivators, such as pleasure, hope and acceptance, and he describes that the “trigger” can be something as simple as an arrow on the screen that says, ‘push here’. To say that computers and the Internet have changed the face of communication is an understatement. Twitter, Facebook and many other forms of social media have dramatically altered our way of communication (43-46)). Today’s educator may start with and use a print