DAFNE stands for Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating.
The DAFNE multiple daily injection (MDI) course is for people over 17 years old with type 1
diabetes who administer their insulin through multiple daily injections. The course is a
comprehensive and often life-changing experience. It is far more than a carbohydrate
counting programme, although learning and refining the skills necessary to count the
carbohydrate in each meal and to inject the right dose of insulin are an important part of the
course.
The DAFNE MDI course is the original DAFNE course and has been delivered in the UK
since the year 2000.
The DAFNE team collect pre and post course data so we know that the DAFNE multiple
daily injection course for people with type 1 diabetes is associated with:
- a reduction in HbA1c levels, nearly 50% of participants achieve the target of <58 mmol/mol,
- a reduction in the prevalence of severe hypoglycaemia by 72-82%,
- a reduction in episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis by 74-89%,
- and 12 months after a DAFNE course 82% of course graduates leaving feedback report
improved quality of life.
DAFNE aims to help people with type 1 diabetes lead as normal a life as possible, whilst
also maintaining blood glucose levels within healthy targets, to reduce the risk of long-term
diabetes complications.
The DAFNE course gives graduates the skills they need to adjust their insulin for any food
choices they make, this means they can eat as you like. Participants learn how to manage
diabetes throughout their daily life, for example, if they want to be active, go on holiday,
attend a celebration, or if they are unwell.
The DAFNE course focuses on learning these life-
long skills, this is why the course might be longer than some other ‘self-management’
training courses.
There are different ways in which you can deliver a DAFNE course, either face-to-face or
remotely (a blend of online learning with virtual group sessions) and there is a DAFNE
course for whichever method you use to administer insulin.
Face-to-face: A face-to-face course is delivered over 5-days (either Monday to Friday, 9am-
5pm, or one day per week for 5 weeks), with a follow-up session around eight weeks later.
The face-to-face course is delivered to groups of 6 to 8 participants by DAFNE trained
educators (who are specially trained NHS diabetes specialist nurses and dietitians).
Remotely: Remote courses enable participants to learn at home; fitting around their work
and home commitments. The Remote DAFNE course will take 5 weeks to complete. It includes online learning from home each week and weekly group video calls with up to 4 to 6
other participants and a trained DAFNE educator.
The DAFNE course, in whichever format, is about learning from experience, trying new
things under supervision and benefiting from the support of other people on the course.
During the course participants practise the skills of carbohydrate counting and insulin
adjustment around lifestyle activities.
DAFNE allows participants to fit diabetes into their lifestyle, rather than changing their
lifestyle to fit in with diabetes. We are passionate about DAFNE and the healthcare
professionals involved in delivering it often say this is the most worthwhile part of their job.
Learn more about DAFNE training here or becoming a DAFNE centre here.
Or contact the DAFNE team at dafne.nhs.uk