Aims To systematically review the literature on the prevalence and incidence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and macular oedema (MO). Methods A search of the bibliographic databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL) was conducted up to October 2001. Selected relevant studies were scrutinized and included in the review. Results A total of 359 studies were included. The studies were reported in nearly 100 different journals and in over 50 countries. The majority of the studies were US-based, with large studies such as the Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy dominating the literature. The studies were quite dated and highly heterogeneous in nature in terms of patient selection with variable inclusion criteria (age range, gender, diabetes duration and type, ethnicity, comorbidity, and DR status, assessment, and classification). Conclusions There are inconsistencies between epidemiological studies, and differences in study methods may contribute to conflicting reports of prevalence and incidence of DR and MO in diabetic populations. As new therapies for DR and its associated complications emerge, the need to capture and monitor new epidemiological data becomes increasingly important to be able to assess the impact and effectiveness of these therapies. Robust, longitudinal capture of patient data is, therefore, essential to evaluate the impact of current practice on the epidemiology of diabetic eye complications.

CODE-2 UK is the UK contribution to the Cost of Diabetes in Europe -Type 2 (CODE-2) study, the first to examine the health care resource use of people with type 2 diabetes in more than one European country. CODE-2 UK studied samples of people with type 2 diabetes from population based registers in Bradford, Jersey and Salford. Data on NHS resource use were obtained retrospectively, covering the period 1 January 1998 to 31 December 1998, from the registers and from primary and secondary care records. Hospital admissions and ambulatory care accounted for 36.2% and 37.7% of total direct costs, which were, on average, £1505 per patient per year. Oral anti-diabetic drugs accounted for 2.7% of total costs. Based on these data and an estimated prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the UK of 2%, the estimated total annual NHS cost of type 2 diabetes is £1.8 billion or 4.1% of total NHS expenditure. Similar findings were evident in other European countries.

Aims This survey audited and evaluated the experiences of mental health nurses who had undergone the assessment of their competence in the administration of medicines using established assessment frameworks.Background Medicines management activities have at times been widely criticised. This paper suggests that joint collaborations between HEIs and the NHS in education and training can sequentially start to address some of these criticisms.