439Lawlor et al M ore than 176 000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 in the United States have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. One in every 400-600 (0.22%) children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes. 1 Most youth with diabetes take medication to control it. 2 These medications, especially insulin, must be balanced with food and exercise, using information from selfmonitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), to achieve optimal blood glucose control on a daily basis. Health and safety are at risk when these are not balanced. Because most youth spend a significant amount of their day in school and related activities, school personnel must understand diabetes and its management to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students who have diabetes. 2,3 Diabetes educators, who may work in a variety of roles and settings including school systems, are well positioned to assist in the care of the student with diabetes within the school setting. 4 AADE supports and advocates for: P Po os si it ti io on n S St ta at te em me en nt t C Co oo or rd di in na at to or r Margaret T. Lawlor, MS, CDE P Po os si it ti io on n S St ta at te em me en nt t W Wr ri it ti in ng g T Te ea am m Alison B. Evert, MS, RD, CDE P Pr ro of fe es ss si io on na al l P Pr ra ac ct ti ic ce e C Co om mm mi it tt te ee e L Li ia ai is so on n

Summary A scoring technique was developed for computerized patient management problems, based on an external criterion group of practising paediatricians. The technique was used successfully to score the 1974 computerized patient management problems examination, taken by paediatric candidates as part of the certification process required by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Statistical analysis indicated there was significant agreement between practising paediatricians’ and candidates’ responses. Comparison of responses of both groups suggested that differences between candidates and practising paediatricians were due to different approaches to the content of the problem, rather than a defect of scoring. The technique will be revised as computerized examinations are increasingly adopted by other medical specialties.

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