PARTNERSHIP TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO DIABETES COMMUNITY THROUGH INTERNET.

V. Salaverría, M. Marín, R. Arana;
Fundación para la Diabetes, Madrid, Spain.
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Background and Aims: Internet becomes a key resource to increase social awareness about diabetes as well as to provide information, education, and services for people with diabetes. However, it is rather expensive for diabetic associations and other non-profit organizations to develop, maintain, and update a quality site in Internet, offering a wide range of services to the diabetes community for free. “Fundación para la Diabetes” a non-profit making organization devoted to diabetes, aimed:

Materials and Methods: "Fundación para la Diabetes" actively looked for a technological partner and finally an agreement was subscribed with “Fundación Telefónica” (Spain) in year 2000. The partnership was satisfactory for both parts and annually renewed until year 2003.

Results: The web site www.fundaciondiabetes.org was presented in October 2000. A number of services have been created since then, the most relevant:
lay press news on diabetes, daily updated; 2) legal advice; 3) nutritional recommendations and cooking recipes; 3) meeting point and forums; 4) micro-site “ABC de la Diabetes” offering information and advice to families, teachers, and children on diabetic children at the school; 5) information about activities carried out by diabetic associations from all over Spain; monthly e-bulletin Di@betes; 6) activities and publications performed by the Foundation.

Conclusion: Partnership, on an altruistic basis, to develop a diabetes high quality site in Internet is feasible. www.fundaciondiabetes.org has become a reference website for people with diabetes, diabetic associations, lay media, and professionals.