Providing care for children with type 1 diabetes in kindergartens and schools

Introduction
Type 1 diabetes in the paediatric population is becoming a serious social problem affecting an increasing number of families with small, dependent children. Polish educational institutions are not prepared to provide care for students with diabetes. There are no nurses who, by law, are responsible for taking care for diabetic children. Teachers are not trained to provide care for pupils with diabetes and there is no system of obligatory, standardized training in this field.

Aim
The aim of the study was to examine parents’ opinions of the quality of care for diabetic students in educational institutions and compare the results obtained in 2013 and 2020.

Material and methods
The research, in the form of a questionnaire containing closed and open questions, was conducted in 2013 (n = 602) and 2020 (n = 604).

Results
There has been a slight positive change in providing the right care for children with type 1 diabetes in school facilities. In 2013 parents rated the quality of diabetic care as: bad – 13%, insufficient – 68%, sufficient – 14%, good – 5%, and in 2020 as: bad – 11%, insufficient – 54%, sufficient – 25.5%, good – 10.5%. However, the problem of the lack of appropriate legal regulations and absence of nurses in educational institutions has deepened. Systematic training of staff financed from public funds has still not been provided.

Conclusions
It is necessary to solve the problem systematically, introduce mandatory, standardized training, clarify the responsibilities of teachers taking care of children with diabetes, introduce appropriate legislative changes and regulate the currently omitted preschool children.