Education scope for referring clinicians

Clear boundaries for diabetes
education and referral support.

This page explains what Sister Jodi’s diabetes education can support, what remains with the treating medical team, and when a patient should be referred for structured education rather than urgent medical care.

SCOPE
Education supports care. It does not replace care.

The goal is practical understanding, safer routines, better preparation, and clearer communication with the healthcare team.

Useful for referrals involving
New diagnosis education
Insulin and injection technique
Diabetes technology and CGM
Foot-care prevention and family support
Use this page to align expectations.

It helps doctors, patients, families, and organisations understand the role of diabetes education.

What diabetes education can support

Appropriate referrals are practical, educational, and non-emergency.

Sister Jodi’s role is to help patients understand diabetes care, build confidence, prepare useful questions, organise information, and apply education in daily life.

01

New diagnosis clarity

Explaining what diabetes means, what patients should monitor, what questions to ask, and how to start building routines.

02

Type 1 and type 2 education

Practical education around glucose patterns, self-management routines, treatment understanding, prevention, and appointment preparation.

03

Insulin education

Support with injection technique principles, site rotation awareness, storage, routine confidence, and safety questions.

04

Diabetes technology and CGM

Helping patients understand CGM reports, alarms, trends, time in range, glucose patterns, and data overwhelm.

05

Foot-care prevention

Education on daily checks, warning signs, prevention habits, footwear awareness, and when to seek medical review.

06

Family and caregiver education

Supporting families to help appropriately without pressure, food policing, blame, stigma, or unnecessary fear.

Scope boundaries

What diabetes education is — and what it is not.

Included

Education and practical self-management support.

  • Helping patients understand diabetes concepts
  • Supporting glucose monitoring and data preparation
  • Building confidence around prescribed treatment routines
  • Explaining insulin handling and injection technique principles
  • Preparing useful questions for the treating clinician
  • Supporting foot-care prevention and warning-sign awareness
  • Helping families support respectfully and safely
Not included

Medical diagnosis, prescribing, or urgent care.

  • Not a replacement for medical diagnosis
  • Not a prescribing service
  • Not a medication adjustment service unless directed by the treating clinician
  • Not a substitute for endocrinology, GP, dietetic, podiatry, surgical, obstetric, or psychological care
  • Not emergency care
  • Not a replacement for urgent assessment of severe symptoms
Clinician-facing clarity: Diabetes education is most useful when the referral reason is specific: for example insulin confidence, CGM interpretation, foot-care prevention, new diagnosis education, or patient preparation before review.
When referral is appropriate

Refer when the patient needs time, structure, and practical education.

A strong referral gives the education session a clear purpose and keeps the support aligned with the treating clinician’s plan.

A

Patient understands poorly

The patient has received medical advice but needs help understanding it, organising it, and applying it safely in daily life.

B

Treatment routine needs support

The patient is starting insulin, using injections, using CGM, changing monitoring routines, or struggling with practical confidence.

C

Risk prevention needs reinforcement

The patient needs education around foot care, warning signs, complication prevention, glucose data, or when to seek review.

When not to refer routinely

Urgent or unstable symptoms need medical care first.

Routine diabetes education is not appropriate as the first response when the patient has severe, sudden, or medically concerning symptoms.

Seek urgent medical care for severe low glucose, confusion, fainting, suspected diabetic ketoacidosis, repeated vomiting, severe dehydration, chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe shortness of breath, serious foot wounds, spreading redness, swelling, warmth, discharge, fever, blackened skin, sudden severe pain, sudden severe illness, or pregnancy red flags.
Plain English: If the patient is medically unstable or symptoms are serious, sudden, or worrying, they need urgent medical assessment — not a routine education referral.
Ready to refer?

Send a focused referral for structured diabetes education.

Include the referral reason, treatment context, relevant results, glucose data if available, and what education outcome would be most useful for the patient.

Education scope for referring clinicians

Clear boundaries for diabetes
education and referral support.

This page explains what Sister Jodi’s diabetes education can support, what remains with the treating medical team, and when a patient should be referred for structured education rather than urgent medical care.

SCOPE
Education supports care. It does not replace care.

The goal is practical understanding, safer routines, better preparation, and clearer communication with the healthcare team.

Useful for referrals involving
New diagnosis education
Insulin and injection technique
Diabetes technology and CGM
Foot-care prevention and family support
Use this page to align expectations.

It helps doctors, patients, families, and organisations understand the role of diabetes education.

What diabetes education can support

Appropriate referrals are practical, educational, and non-emergency.

Sister Jodi’s role is to help patients understand diabetes care, build confidence, prepare useful questions, organise information, and apply education in daily life.

01

New diagnosis clarity

Explaining what diabetes means, what patients should monitor, what questions to ask, and how to start building routines.

02

Type 1 and type 2 education

Practical education around glucose patterns, self-management routines, treatment understanding, prevention, and appointment preparation.

03

Insulin education

Support with injection technique principles, site rotation awareness, storage, routine confidence, and safety questions.

04

Diabetes technology and CGM

Helping patients understand CGM reports, alarms, trends, time in range, glucose patterns, and data overwhelm.

05

Foot-care prevention

Education on daily checks, warning signs, prevention habits, footwear awareness, and when to seek medical review.

06

Family and caregiver education

Supporting families to help appropriately without pressure, food policing, blame, stigma, or unnecessary fear.

Scope boundaries

What diabetes education is — and what it is not.

Included

Education and practical self-management support.

  • Helping patients understand diabetes concepts
  • Supporting glucose monitoring and data preparation
  • Building confidence around prescribed treatment routines
  • Explaining insulin handling and injection technique principles
  • Preparing useful questions for the treating clinician
  • Supporting foot-care prevention and warning-sign awareness
  • Helping families support respectfully and safely
Not included

Medical diagnosis, prescribing, or urgent care.

  • Not a replacement for medical diagnosis
  • Not a prescribing service
  • Not a medication adjustment service unless directed by the treating clinician
  • Not a substitute for endocrinology, GP, dietetic, podiatry, surgical, obstetric, or psychological care
  • Not emergency care
  • Not a replacement for urgent assessment of severe symptoms
Clinician-facing clarity: Diabetes education is most useful when the referral reason is specific: for example insulin confidence, CGM interpretation, foot-care prevention, new diagnosis education, or patient preparation before review.
When referral is appropriate

Refer when the patient needs time, structure, and practical education.

A strong referral gives the education session a clear purpose and keeps the support aligned with the treating clinician’s plan.

A

Patient understands poorly

The patient has received medical advice but needs help understanding it, organising it, and applying it safely in daily life.

B

Treatment routine needs support

The patient is starting insulin, using injections, using CGM, changing monitoring routines, or struggling with practical confidence.

C

Risk prevention needs reinforcement

The patient needs education around foot care, warning signs, complication prevention, glucose data, or when to seek review.

When not to refer routinely

Urgent or unstable symptoms need medical care first.

Routine diabetes education is not appropriate as the first response when the patient has severe, sudden, or medically concerning symptoms.

Seek urgent medical care for severe low glucose, confusion, fainting, suspected diabetic ketoacidosis, repeated vomiting, severe dehydration, chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe shortness of breath, serious foot wounds, spreading redness, swelling, warmth, discharge, fever, blackened skin, sudden severe pain, sudden severe illness, or pregnancy red flags.
Plain English: If the patient is medically unstable or symptoms are serious, sudden, or worrying, they need urgent medical assessment — not a routine education referral.
Ready to refer?

Send a focused referral for structured diabetes education.

Include the referral reason, treatment context, relevant results, glucose data if available, and what education outcome would be most useful for the patient.