Management of insulin‐treated diabetes in Tasmania

Abstract

Objective To evaluate patterns of self‐management, healthcare utilisation and screening for major complications among Tasmanians with insulin‐treated diabetes. Main outcome measures Frequency of self‐monitoring of blood glucose, health care utilisation and screening for diabetic complications. Design and setting A questionnaire survey of 1517 people listed on the Tasmanian Diabetes Register in 1995‐1997. Results Response rate was 79.5%. Self‐monitoring of blood glucose was reported by 98% of respondents, daily self‐monitoring by 74%. About 41% of respondents were being managed jointly by GPs and diabetes specialists, 29% solely by GPs and 25% solely by diabetes specialists. Over 96% visited the doctor treating their diabetes more than once a year, but 21% reported they had never visited a diabetes educator and 43% reported they had never visited a dietitian. Most respondents aged & 25 years (90%) reported having an eye examination within the past two years, almost all by an eye specialist. Blood pressure was commonly assessed, but most adults indicated that the doctor treating their diabetes did not routinely examine their feet. Nearly 19% of respondents smoked cigarettes. Conclusions Some aspects of diabetes self‐care and medical care have improved in Tasmania since the 1984 survey (eg, frequency of self‐monitoring of blood glucose rose from 50% to 98%). However, our findings suggest that further improvements are needed to increase daily self‐monitoring of blood glucose, attendance at diabetes educator and dietitian services, and foot examinations by doctors. Additional efforts are also needed to lower the prevalence of smoking.

Trends in diabetes management practices of patients from an Australian insulin‐treated diabetes register

“…The questionnaire was mailed to the remaining 1653 and completed by 1336 (80.8% response rate). All comparisons in this section refer to the previous survey of management practices by individuals from the Tasmanian Insulin‐Treated Diabetes Register [12].…”

“…The source population included all living registrants for whom we had a current Tasmanian address. A survey of management practices was conducted in 1995–97 [12], with 1517 participants, and the same recruitment strategy and questionnaire were used in the present study. From February 2001 to April 2001, all living registrants resident in Tasmania were mailed a diabetes management questionnaire.…”

“…To aid direct comparison with the previous survey conducted in 1995–97 [12], data were analysed using descriptive statistics and stratified into three age groups: < 25 years, 25–49 years, and ≥ 50 years. Responses that differed significantly between the two surveys were further examined by stratifying 2001 responses by diabetes type (probable Type 1 vs. probable Type 2).…”

“…A survey conducted in 1995–7 investigated management practices by individuals from the Tasmanian Insulin‐Treated Diabetes Register [12]. In light of recent Australian government initiatives to improve health care of individuals with diabetes, our study aimed to compare diabetes management practices in 2001 with the previous survey to identify trends relating to glycaemic control, use of health services, and screening frequency for hypertension, retinopathy, and foot problems.…”

Pilot study of random finger prick glucose testing as a screening tool for type 2 diabetes mellitus in the emergency department

“…It is estimated that 7.2% of Australians aged >25 years have type 2 diabetes mellitus and that 50% are undiagnosed 1 2 3 4. We aimed to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed hyperglycaemia among patients in the emergency department (ED) and to evaluate the usefulness of random fingerprick plasma glucose (RFPG) screening in the ED with GP follow-up.…”