DAFNE stands for Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating.
The DAFNE pump course is for people over 17 years old with type 1 diabetes who use a
pump to administer their insulin. 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 to determine the right
dose of insulin are an important part of the course.
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.
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 the person with diabetes uses to administer their insulin.
The DAFNE pump course teaches the skills needed to adjust insulin for any food choices a
person with diabetes makes, this means the person can eat as they like and learns 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 pump course focuses on
learning these life-long skills, this is why the course might be longer than some other ‘self-
management’ training courses.
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