Strategic Forum: Integrated Care

Background

Ninety percent of diabetes care in Europe occurs in primary care. Pandemic diabetes creates a quantitative stress on the time and resources of primary care teams. The complexity of treatment options combined with patient complexity (ageing population, multi-morbidity) further stress the systems. The trend is unsustainable in the medium to long term.

Healthcare systems are not set up to manage chronic, complex and growing diseases such as diabetes. The settings and systems for primary care vary greatly throughout Europe as well as within countries and regions. The care of people with diabetes is hindered by fragmented management. A lack of long-term focus and a silo system of care contribute to an overall poor patient experience, poor adherence, poor compliance and sub-optimal outcomes. 

Objectives & Directions for Solutions

Enlighten the way for integrated care and sustainable financing of diabetes in the future

• Share and implement best practices regarding integrated care solutions
• Align incentives in the HC system to be matched to longer-term outcomes for PwD
• Support frontline diabetes care with up to date and clinically translatable postgraduate education and continued professional development
• Support decision-making in primary care, including ‘live’ support regarding guidelines
• Facilitate communication between primary care, secondary care and the different specialty groups within secondary care
• Prepare policy recommendations on integration of care at a European level and provide guidance for regional/national translations