Usher Institute

Diabetes and Ramadan - free online course

Online courses available for people with diabetes, and healthcare professionals, to help manage diabetes during Ramadan

Fasting extra challenging for people with diabetes

Some Muslim people with diabetes who wish to fast during Ramadan are at increased risk of serious health complications (low blood sugar, diabetic ketoacidosis, dehydration). Many of these health complications can be mitigated by good diabetes self-management education around fasting risk and diet and diabetes medication adjustment. However, many people with diabetes lack awareness of these issues, and many healthcare professionals lack Ramadan understanding and knowledge of how it can impact people with diabetes. 

The Usher Institute's Dr Debbie Wake decided to tackle these challenges head on. Her company MyWay Digital Health, which specialises in data-driven diabetes care and education, partnered with the Diabetes and Ramadan International Alliance to create FREE Diabetes and Ramadan online support and training. The team ran their first pilot course prior to Ramadan 2022, and had great feedback from people with diabetes and healthcare professionals alike.

Diabetes and Ramadan

Diabetes and Ramadan is produced by MyWay Digital Health in partnership with the Diabetes and Ramadan International Alliance. This free education aims to reduce health inequalities for Muslim people through access to healthcare information.

There are 2 social online courses available: 

  1. For Muslim people with diabetes and their family and carers 
  2. For healthcare professionals  

The courses are social and interactive and are developed with collaborators including, Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee, UPM (Malaysia), British Islamic Medical Association and multiple UK health boards. They include online content and live Q&A sessions in 3 languages (English, Arabic and Malay). 

Find out more and enroll on courses - these will remain open until 24 April 2023

MyWay Digital Health

MyWay Digital Health was part of the University of Edinburgh's Post-Covid AI Accelerator Programme (delivered by Edinburgh Innovations in partnership with the Bayes Centre).

Read more about the MyWay Digital Health

Dr Debbie Wake's profile