Diabetes News

Continued increases in the incidence of diagnosed diabetes combined with declining mortality have led to an acceleration of lifetime risk and more years spent with diabetes, but fewer years lost to the disease for the average individual with diabetes (The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology)

This is the latest in a series of annual reports published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on Prescribing for Diabetes in England, within primary care (HSCIC)

The cost of diabetic foot disease is substantial. Ignorance of the cost of current care may hinder commissioning of effective services for prevention and management in both community and secondary care (Diabetic Medicine)

Key findings about the quality of care of inpatients with diabetes in England and Wales

The initial findings from the first-ever England-wide Care Home Diabetes Audit have unfortunately revealed a lack of comprehensive assessment, monitoring and specialist care (Institute of Diabetes for Older People)

Insights from 20,000 patients (Diabetes.co.uk)

An alarming number of serious adverse events was reported: 12 serious adverse events with three deaths over a 1-year period in 41 Trusts. This may be the tip of the iceberg, considering the potential under-reporting (Diabetic Medicine)

The prevalence of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion use in the UK falls well below the expectation of NICE (15–20%) and that of other European countries (> 15%) and the USA (40%). This may be attributable, in part, to lack of healthcare professional time needed for identification and training of new pump therapy users (Diabetic Medicine)

Future models should aim to include all relevant treatment outcomes, whether these relate to effects on underlying diabetes and its complications or to short- or long-term side effects of treatment. We need to explore why cost-saving interventions could benefit further from adding patient characteristics, which may be able to better predict the use of lower-cost alternatives (PharmacoEconomics)

The Diabetes Community Health Profiles bring together a wide range of data on diabetes in adults into a single source for the purposes of benchmarking. The tool allows you to download a diabetes profile for each area in England (YHPHO)

Care processes and outcomes (RCPCH)

This report highlights the problem that quality of care for diabetics is uneven throughout England. It notes that diabetes care is adequately funded but that the focus of the spending should be on prevention rather than treatment (Diabetes UK)

This year’s report shows that diabetes continues to be a major challenge for the NHS. It is still a huge drain on resources, quality of care still depends on where you live, and the crisis is still not being taken seriously (Diabetes UK)

Launched by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company in Partnership with the International Diabetes Federation. More than 10,000 people with self-reported and diagnosed type 2 diabetes and more than 6,500 treating-physicians from 26 countries to take part in new survey (Boehringer Ingelheim)

This national report from the ninth year of the NDA, presents key findings on complications in 2010-2012 and deaths in 2012 for all age groups (Health and Social Care Information Centre)

The introduction of the BPT is encouraging more paediatric diabetes specialists to consider the valuable role technology can play in enhancing service delivery. For those that have already embraced it, the results are better for the NHS, better for healthcare professionals and, most important of all, better for patients (British Journal of Diabetes & Vascular Disease)

The 6th Edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas generates estimates using new studies that became available in the last year, and updated population estimates. The new estimates follow the same upward trajectory evidenced by previous editions of the Atlas, and add urgency to the need for effective prevention, treatment, and an end to silence and discrimination (IDF)

Over the lifetime, type 2 diabetes imposes a substantial economic burden on healthcare systems. Effective interventions that prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications might result in substantial long-term savings in healthcare costs (American Journal of Preventive Medicine)

Patients with T2DM initiating insulin glargine treatment showed low rates of hypoglycemia, especially when using a disposable pen device. Hypoglycemia-related costs were low, contributing a very small proportion to overall diabetes-related healthcare costs (Journal of Medical Economics)

Contributors to total cost differed between countries, potentially reflecting local clinical practice patterns and insulin regimens. In each country, mean direct total costs of T2DM care increased during the first 6 months after insulin initiation and decreased thereafter (Journal of Medical Economics)