Youths with Diabetes: Surviving to Thriving

Release date: 2/05/2008

The SWEET Diabetes Transition Program website—designed to assist the effective transition of young people with diabetes from paediatric to adult care—was officially launched by the Queensland Health Minister, the Hon. Stephen Robertson MP, at the Sweet Conference held in South Brisbane on 2 April 2008.

The SWEET Diabetes Transition Program website—designed to assist the effective transition of young people with diabetes from paediatric to adult care—was officially launched by the Queensland Health Minister, the Hon. Stephen Robertson MP, at the Sweet Conference held in South Brisbane on 2 April 2008.

A significant number of young people with diabetes are lost to specialist care each year and often return for health care in early adult life with diabetes-related complications due to poor diabetes control. This represents a high cost to individuals and to society through chronic morbidity and lack of productivity.

In January 2007, Mater Children’s Hospital commenced a two-year project called the Diabetes Transition Program, also known as Sweet, to develop a more effective way for young people with diabetes to move from paediatric to adult care in Queensland.

“This move is often difficult and usually occurs at a time when young people have lots of other things happening in their lives,” said Sweet Program Project Coordinator Eunice Lang.

“It is hard to replace the familiarity and security of a doctor and team you have grown up with. Many young people find it difficult to settle with an adult doctor and spend long periods seeing no-one for help with their diabetes.”

Health professionals and young people with diabetes and their parents and partners can go to the website which will go live at the end of April at www.sweet.org.au to access information on the transition process along with information sheets and other resources.