Syron advocates for care standards
Laura Syron, president and CEO of Diabetes Canada is urging the creation of consistent diabetes care standards in schools.
“Even though children have been living with diabetes –– and attending school ––– since the discovery of insulin more than a century ago, most Canadian provinces still do not have standardized policies in place to support students with diabetes,” she wrote in a news article published Nov. 14–– World Diabetes Day.
Approximately one in 300 children in Canada has type 1 diabetes and it is probable that every Canadian school has one student with diabetes. According to Syron, most Canadian provinces and territories have not developed a mandatory standard of care for managing diabetes in schools.
Locally, Debby Grant, Director of Student Services with the Lord Selkirk School Division said that every student in the division is supported based on their Individual Health Care Plan developed by a URIS (Unified Referral and Intake System) nurse, the student, and their parents/guardians.
“The URIS nurse the trains all staff on the student’s individual plans, with emergency procedures built into each plan,” she explained.
At this point, the division has not received any concerns from parents regarding the level of care and Grant noted she is comfortable with the level of standardized care each URIS plan provides.
“With diabetes falling under the umbrella of URIS and the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, I feel we already have a process and guideline that we follow. To date, it has worked well and we have always had access to a nurse for building plans and training,” she said. “This also includes an in-school plan to support the management of diabetes and an emergency response plan.”
Syron said this level of care is not commonly found in other schools or divisions.
“It is well past time for provincial and territorial governments to mandate standards of care that align with Diabetes Canada guidelines to ensure that no child’s safety or education is jeopardized because of where they attend school,” she said. “All of them deserve consistent, safe and equitable care.”
So far, only British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have care standards that align with Diabetes Canada Guidelines, with most schools in other provinces and territories creating care plans based on divisional or school board discretion.
Syron noted that managing diabetes is a complex condition for adults to manage, let alone children.
“Well-managed diabetes is important for children’s health. Blood glucose levels that are too low can lead to life-threatening emergencies. Blood glucose levels that are left too high can overtime increase the risk of developing serious complications. Off-target levels can also lead students to feel unwell and unable to concentrate, negatively impacting their ability to participate and learn,” she added.
While some students are able to check their glucose levels or administer insulin independently, some students still need assistance from trained staff members and, “without a clear province/territory-wide standard of care outlining the roles and responsibilities of students, families and school staff, students are left vulnerable,” Pyron said.
She is requesting that provinces and territories should have a mandated standard of care based off the following criteria:
• Schools, parents and healthcare professionals to work together to develop an individual care plan for the student with diabetes that addresses both daily management as well as emergency response.
• Education for staff and school personnel on emergency prevention of low blood glucose events.
• Safe spaces to monitor blood glucose and for safe access to physical education, sports, field trips and other extracurricular activities
• Permission to students with diabetes to carry a cellphone or smartwatch if they receive diabetes-related data from their medical devices.
“It is time for provinces and territories to catch up and implement a mandatory standard of care aligned with Diabetes Canada guidelines to ensure that all students with diabetes receive the support they need,” she added. “Children and families in Canada have waited long enough.”
