Organization of diabetes care

The increasing worldwide incidence and prevalence of diabetes is placing substantial pressures on health care systems and economies. As a consequence individuals involved in the care of people with diabetes are looking at services currently being provided and examining ways in which care can be organized in the most cost-effective manner. Whilst the degree to which diabetes care is delivered differs from country to country, similar fundamental questions are being asked by those involved in the delivery of care, including: What are we currently providing? What do we need to provide? What are we able to provide? Although the answers to these questions are quite different not just between countries but often within specific localities within a country, the ultimate aim is the same: to provide the best possible care to as many people with diabetes as possible.

The global diversity of diabetes health care need is enormous and while the solutions will be equally diverse, the approach to the development of a diabetes service will, for many organizations, be similar. The main focus of this chapter is based upon the model or the strategic approach developed in the UK, but many of the individual component parts are present in most health care settings.