Diabetes Information Systems

John New

Department Diabetes, Hope Hospital, Salford

Summer School 15-18 July 2003
University of Manchester, Hulme Hall, Manchester, UK

There is plenty of excellent research demonstrating that the progression of diabetes related complications can be delayed if metabolic control can be optimised. Unfortunately this is difficult to thresholds for interventions are constantly being lowered, and therefore achievement of these targets more difficult. These problems are compounded by the increasing numbers of people with diabetes, and the provision of care being shared between primary, secondary and tertiary care, as well as podiatry, dietetics, opticians etc.

Whilst the National Service framework for Diabetes has reminded clinicians what they should be doing, and placed the major onus with the PCT, there was less detailed guidance as to how clinicians should provide this care, with minimal additional resources. If clinicians are to implement the NSF then we must work smarter, not harder.

Medical informatics has long been heralded as the saviour to improving effectiveness and enabling clinicians to provide high quality care with minimal effort. There have been many examples where huge investments in IT have produce modest returns in health care. Most IT systems seem unable to link to existing IT systems, especially between primary and secondary care, and many people believe that whilst IT systems producers are expected to make a profit for their company that little development will be done to facilitate the flow of information from one system (theirs) into another (a rivals).

Despite a degree of scepticism about the development of medical informatics within healthcare there is no doubt that effective use of IT could revolutionise the provision of chronic diseases and diabetes is an excellent example of how IT has been harnessed to improve the provision of care. In this short talk I will try and share some of my enthusiasm for developing IT by highlighting how care could be provided by demonstrating areas of good practice.

Developing a diabetes information system
District wide or stand alone systems
How to link to existing information systems to improve the quality of data
Linking primary and secondary care
Maintaining patient confidentiality
NHSnet and data encryption

Using the information
Improving care
Patient hand held records
Drug company trials and research
Audit for NSF Self assessment and QUIDS

Whilst it is impossible to cover all these areas in detail I hope to provide some examples of how medical informatics can be used in these areas.

The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society

Revised: 04-Sep-2003