Diabetes Action Plan delivers quality care
An action plan setting out a three-year vision for improving the health and wellbeing of people with diabetes has been published. Read the news release here
New Psychology in Diabetes project
Funding has been acquired for a pilot project (PID / PAD – Psychologists in Diabetes / Psychologists and Diabetes) to employ 5 part-time psychologists in diabetes services across Scotland. Three half-time psychologists will be employed in adult services and 2 quarter-time psychologists will be employed in transition services. Further details are available at: THE PiD/PaD PROJECT
Self-monitoring of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes: systematic review
A systematic review to examine whether or not self-monitoring of blood glucose is worthwhile has been published. 30 randomised controlled trials were reviewed in terms of glycaemic control, hypoglycaemia, quality of life and cost per quality-adjusted life-year in people with type 2 diabetes who were not treated with insulin or who were on basal insulin in combination with oral agents. The full review can be found here.
Scottish Diabetes Survey 2009
The Scottish Diabetes Survey is now in its ninth year. This 2009 Survey, as with previous
versions, continues to demonstrate an increase in the prevalence of diabetes and an increase in recording key data that reflects the quality of diabetes care across the whole of Scotland. This provides useful information for the Scottish Diabetes Action Plan review and should aid and influence NHS Boards in Scotland in service planning, audit and with quality improvement. It also offers great potential for epidemiological research. You can access the survey here.
SIGN Guideline on Management of Diabetes
The SIGN guideline on Management of Diabetes (SIGN 116) has been published.
This guideline is a selective update of SIGN 55, which was published in 2001, and provides updated information across a range of areas relevant to the care of people with diabetes. You can access the guideline here.
DVD ‘Type 2 diabetes – the non nonsense guide’ available to all libraries in Scotland.
The Scottish Diabetes Group sponsored DVD ‘Type 2 diabetes – the non nonsense guide’ has been made available to all libraries in Scotland.
Diabetes Education Network Scotland (DENS) meeting report
The Scottish Diabetes group supported a DENS meeting at the Beardmore Conference centre on the 3rd of June 2009. A total of 81 delegates, steering group members and speakers attended the event representing a wide range of health care professionals from primary care, secondary care and paediatric services as well as service users and managers.
Feedback from the day was very positive and a number of ideas for future meetings were generated.
During the day delegates were asked to consider the questions in the ‘Better Diabetes Care’ consultation document addressing structured education. It was agreed that a joint document of participant’s response to these questions would be drawn up on behalf of those attending and submitted by the DENS steering group.
Presentation slides from the day are available on the Education for Patients page.
Needs assessment for Type 2 diabetes
The Scottish Public Health Network is undertaking a needs assessment for Type 2 diabetes in Scotland. This will update the last needs assessment, undertaken in 1999, and has been requested by the Scottish Diabetes Group because of the increase in prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, better diabetes data capture and the ongoing debate about population screening for Type 2 diabetes. The project is being lead by Professor Norman Waugh from the University of Aberdeen and is due to report in April 2009
National initiative to rationalise purchase of blood glucose strips
There is a national initiative underway to rationalise the purchase of blood glucose strips for NHS Scotland. Patients, carers, nurses, biochemists and others are all involved in assessing the current range of blood glucose strips with a view to drawing up specifications that will suit hospital, community and individual patient use. The process is also beginning to look at insulin pumps and consumables.
Worldwide agreement to standardise HbA1c
There has been agreement worldwide to standardise HbA1c (the measurement used to assess a person's overall blood glucose control). The new measure, which will be recorded in mmol/mol, will be reported on all patients from June 2009. Because the results are so different (an HbA1c of 7% will equate to 53 mmol/mol in the new measure, for example) it is proposed both methods will be reported until April 2011, when only the new method will be reported. Education materials for patients and healthcare professionals are being developed.
HbA1c Standardisation (Clinical Health Care Professionals) leaflet
HbA1c Standardisation (Laboratory Professionals) leaflet
HbA1c Standardisation (People with Diabetes) leaflet