Dr Patrick J Phillips
Endocrinology, North Western Adelaide Health Service
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia
Diabetes Australia's national journal for health professionals in the field of diabetes.
Each year there is a global increase in the number and content of diabetes-related Internet sites. This brief overview highlights a cross-section of Australasian-based Internet resources that cover the many different facets of diabetes. To facilitate ready access to these resources, this article may be accessed online at www.diabetes.org.au.
Commonwealth and State governments promote and sponsor quality Internet diabetes health information. In particular, see the Commonwealth's diabetes section at HealthInsite and the extensive list of publications, programs and initiatives available from Health and Ageing.
The Diabetes Outreach program allows access to resources for professional staff development through the unique presentation series, Dealing with Diabetes.
The online facility, www.diabetescounselling.com.au, is the first site dedicated entirely to diabetes counselling. A key resource for healthcare professionals is the recent widespread availability of multilingual diabetes information: for example, between them, Diabetes Australia's Multilingual Internet Resource site and that of the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service provide printable patient information sheets spanning 18 different languages.
On specialised topics, the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Diabetes Centre site provides detailed information about foot care in diabetes, while diabetic retinopathy is specifically covered at www.eyesondiabetes.org.au. Diet, an integral part of all diabetes management programs, is covered briefly in most sites. However, we recommend a special look at the TuDocs site, which has a very large collection of recipes, and the Sydney University site, which provides comprehensive details about the glycemic index of foods.
Diabetes Australia, through its twelve linked organizations, continues to provide comprehensive information to consumers and professionals, as well as detailed individual State contacts and activities. Like its Australian counterpart, the Diabetes New Zealand website strives to educate and inform people about diabetes, as well as provide a general community support role. Reality Check, an impressive and popular site maintained by a Melbourne-based group of young people with diabetes, includes a well-frequented online bulletin board and an unique 'chat room' that allows direct informal discussions as well as interactive sessions with experts in the field.
Other important Australian sites include the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Australia , the Australian Diabetes Society, the Australian Diabetes Educators Association and the International Diabetes Institute.
The quantity and quality of diabetes-related Internet information has now reached a stage where it has become an important resource for healthcare professionals as well as for people with diabetes and their families.