Rural health practitioners to be updated on new type 2 diabetes treatment Guidelines
August 31, 2009Rural and remote health practitioners around Australia will be updated about new treatment and management guidelines for type 2 diabetes, including more stringent controls of blood glucose levels and increased access to more comprehensive patient education programs.
The new National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) endorsed Guidelines match recommended patient treatment with the latest evidence and research and have been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Health Education Foundation, Don Perlgut, says it was important for the Foundation to produce a series of four programs to communicate the information to health practitioners throughout rural and remote areas, due to the enormous impact of diabetes across Australia.
He says: “About 890,000 Australians are currently diagnosed with diabetes - and for every person diagnosed, it is estimated there is another who is not yet diagnosed. This means the total number of Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes is currently estimated at around 3.2 million.”
Perlgut says however that: “Despite those figures, up to 60% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented, which is why it is crucial to keep all rural and remote health practitioners at the cutting edge of the most up-to-date information.”
Diabetes expert and Professor of Metabolic Health at the Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise at the University of Sydney, Stephen Colagiuri, says the initial program to be broadcast by the Foundation focuses on two evidence-based clinical guidelines relating specifically to Blood Glucose Control and Patient Education.
He says: ”Since the first Guidelines were introduced in 1999, more evidence has emerged which will improve the way in which patients can be treated – leading to a more customised approach which has been incorporated into these new Guidelines.”
Colagiuri explains: “In relation to the critical element of blood glucose control, not only have there been considerable advances in type 2 diabetes medications but numerous studies have also shown that if those levels are more stringently controlled, it can significantly reduce the risk of both microvascular and macrovascular complications.
“If type 2 diabetes patients can be made aware of this information through their health practitioner as part of their treatment, they will be better equipped to manage their condition.”
In relation to patient education for type 2 diabetes, Colagiuri says there is now a more comprehensive range of specialist services which can be accessed by people, including those in regional areas.
He says: “There are some vital services now available through Medicare that will form a valuable part of both initial and ongoing patient education on type 2 diabetes.”
It is also evident that patient education should be delivered, where possible, by a multidisciplinary team and should include a component on physical activity as well as encouragement for patients to participate in goal setting and decision making.”
The series of four programs will be satellite broadcast and web-cast by the Rural Health Education Foundation on the new type 2 diabetes treatment guidelines - providing an educational package for all rural and remote health practitioners which includes key practice points and goals for patient treatment.
The series will air between September and November 2009 with each program covering specific sections of the guidelines.
Each broadcast will include live panel discussions with leading clinicians in the area of diabetes as well as filmed case studies which showcase innovative approaches to best practice prevention, diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes.
The first program, Blood Glucose Control, Patient Education in Type 2 Diabetes, will focus on the two guidelines involving blood glucose control and patient education and will be broadcast to rural health professionals on September 8. Other programs will include guidelines focusing on diabetic retinopathy; chronic kidney disease; case detection and diagnosis; primary prevention; and diabetes in relation to Indigenous Australians.
Click for full information about the T2DM Guideline Series