A systematic literature review of the effectiveness of diabetes education of school personnel.

PURPOSE This paper describes current knowledge levels of school personnel about diabetes, discusses the findings of a systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of diabetes educational interventions for school personnel, and presents recommendations for future research. METHODS English language literature published between January 1966 and May 2001 regarding the effectiveness of diabetes education of school personnel was systematically reviewed using multiple electronic databases. RESULTS Four studies that examined the effectiveness of diabetes education of school personnel were identified. One study demonstrated improvement in teacher knowledge of treatment, another reported significant improvement in comprehensive knowledge scores, and a third study demonstrated significant knowledge deficits across 4 measures of teacher knowledge about diabetes. A fourth study demonstrated a decrease in the cumulative frequency of diabetic ketoacidosis. CONCLUSIONS The literature regarding the effectiveness of diabetes education of school personnel is scant, the methodology is inadequate, the results are mixed, and the focus is on a narrow range of outcomes. Further research is needed to define effective interventions for improving the health and quality of life of school-age children and adolescents with diabetes.