Abstract
Aims/hypothesis. To examine changes in diabetes care provision after the introduction of a district diabetes information system.¶Methods. All patients with diabetes registered on the system between 1993 and 1998 (n = 6544) were included in the analysis. Drop-out cohort analysis was used to handle population changes, logistic regression models with general estimating equations were used to examine changes in clinical performance over time.¶Results. After the introduction of the system, care processes improved appreciably, in both primary and secondary care. The proportion of patients receiving a preventative care review within the calendar year rose from 56 % in 1993 to 67 % in 1998. The proportion of these in whom each process was completed improved in all categories from 1993 to 1998: blood pressure 96 % to 98 %; glycaemic check 67 % to 93 %; lipid check 31 % to 68 %; renal check 46 % to 87 %; fundoscopy 79 % to 92 %; foot screen 87 % to 87 %. Similarly there was an increase in the proportion of patients achieving intermediate outcome treatment targets (HbA1 c≤ 9.0 % from 29 % to 43 %; cholesterol ≤ 5.5 mmol/l 5 % to 19 %; blood pressure ≤ 160/90 37 % to 46 %).¶Conclusion/interpretation. Our results suggest appreciable improvements in diabetes care between 1993 and 1998. These changes apply to an entire population of patients across primary and shared care. We believe that these improvements could, in part, be attributable to the way in which the district diabetes information system has facilitated the structured cascade of diabetes care. [Diabetologia (2000) 43: 836–843]
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 20 January 2000 and in revised form: 20 March 2000
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
New, J., Hollis, S., Campbell, F. et al. Measuring clinical performance and outcomes from diabetes information systems: an observational study. Diabetologia 43, 836–843 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s001250051458
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s001250051458