iCPS Diabetes Europe Roundtable 2019
Data collection as an important step forward
Raimund Weitgasser, Austrian Diabetes Association (ÖDG)
Austria has as well as other European countries undertaken the effort to establish a National Diabetes Strategy (ÖDIS) to improve Diabetes Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment.
The aims for action following discussions and input by the main stakeholders led by the Ministry of Health can be summarized in six main topics:
- Increase diabetes-related health competence by promotion and extension of the National Action Plans for Physical Activity (NAP.b) and Nutrition (NAP.e)
- Improve factors for prevention like the attenuation of a diabetogenic environment
- Raise individual competence in persons with established diabetes coping with the disease
- Extension and maintenance of Integrated Care models like the already implemented Disease Management Type 2 Diabetes (DMP Typ 2 Diabetes „Therapie Aktiv“)
- Improve and enlarge the competence of HCPs, support networks, enhance transparency
- Generate knowledge and support evidence-based quality assessed actions
The Austrian Diabetes Association (ÖDG), one of the main conributers to the ÖDIS, supports these goals within an action plan which could also be used as an example for Europe wide efforts to improve diabetes prevention and care. To extract meaningful content for all European countries a survey and compilation on already developed, established or implemented national diabetes plans would thus be helpful. In addition this could help to sort out failed developments and put the focus on successful actions irrespectively of different health care systems in different countries. Furthermore the mandatory oral glucose tolerance test for all pregnant women in Austria may serve as a role model for high-quality diabetes care in Europe.
As a basis for all actions we regard diabetes registries containing a small but relevant data set comparable to already established registries in Sweden, Denmark or Scotland an absolute necessity for all European countries. These data could then be used to back decisions on a governmental and political level as well as directions for epidemiological and translational research. A common view on diabetes in Europe would then contribute to joint political efforts and actions. We strongly advise EU parliamentarians to support screening and evaluating national diabetes plans and enforce the implementation of a European Diabetes Registry.
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