Biography
Biography: Kshitij Shankhdhar
Abstract
A lower limb is lost to diabetes somewhere in the world every 20 seconds. If a person with diabetes has a lesion on the sole of a foot, offloading bodyweight is of vital importance; all therapeutic efforts are bound to fail if he or she continues to walk on an ulcer. In 2000, the authors of this report designed a system of offloading that was developed specifically for people living in developing countries. The Samadhan System is based on the principles of simplicity and ease of application. Requiring no special training, it is affordable and effective. The word Samadhan means 'solution' in Hindi language. In the words of Dr. Elliott Joslin, “The person with diabetes who knows the most lives the longest.” Different people with diabetes need different education. Conventional methods (lectures/literature) are often ineffective. The author discovered The Samadhan System of Diabetes Education. In this method, diabetes education is rendered through Mobi-films - films made using mobile phones. Then they are classified based on type, duration and complication of diabetes - for single viewing or group education. This needs basic mobile phone (take pictures/videos/audio) with use of computer software Windows Movie Maker (available free) to edit the film. Such films are displayed in diabetes centre / diabetes camps / distributed amongst doctors / patient / educators / via internet / MMS. Patients are involved in script writing / acting. Patients make mobi-films - record their activities (self insulin administration at home/ diet intake etc) - show to doctor/educator - mistakes are pointed and corrected. Recently, the author successfully established a first of its kind, UPMA's Medical College of Diabetology, for a structured education program for people with diabetes.