Publications

The EUDF has united all the main voices in diabetes across Europe, but we need the Pledge to be seen, discussed, distributed and adopted by future members of the EU parliament. For this reason, we seek the support of all those who care about people living with diabetes. Now is the time for action and we urge you to sign and share the Diabetes Community Pledge today.

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Take action by creating a strong EU diabetes policy framework supportive of national diabetes action plans.

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The report highlights the key characteristics of diabetes registries including how they work and the types of data they collate. An overview of the key recommendations of the work in the Strategic Forum on Data Registries is given with additional thoughts on existing barriers and opportunities. 

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In this article, experts from around the globe discuss how these targets could be achieved. For Europe, Chantal Mathieu, President of EASD and vice-Chair of EUDF was interviewed. 

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EUDF is a platform to bring together stakeholders from across the diabetes landscape in Europe to present a harmonised voice on the needs of the diabetes community to governments, regulators, payers and others. It is the EUDF scope to influence future policy and engage with political leaders and decision makers around Europe to advance the agenda of diabetes and advocate policy change to enable the healthcare systems to cope with the diabetes pandemic.
The mission of EUDF is to ensure the translation of research and clinical evidence into policy actions towards better diabetes care at a national level. Apart from working at the European level, EUDF also supports the translation of the efforts at the European level to national and regional initiatives.
 o far, three main areas of policy focus have been identified: technology, digitalisation and empowerment of self-care; data and registries; and integrated care.
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Registries enable evidence-based approach to diabetes management. They ensure quality control and better adherence to guidelines; track performance across clinics or regions and help identify the sources of variation in outcomes; and inform the delivery of care and treatments, which can reduce costly complications. 

Yet despite all these benefits, registries are severely underutilised across Europe, with only a handful of countries with national diabetes registries. Given the growing burden of diabetes and the mounting costs to individuals, families, societies, all stakeholders to work together to advance the integration of registries in the diabetes care systems throughout Europe. 

There are many political and logistical challenges to realising this vision, but the most important thing is to get registries started –depending on the country in regional settings at first, and then – when successful – to expand nationally. 

The European Diabetes Forum, a representative group comprising healthcare professionals, researchers, industry associates, and people with diabetes, have compiled recommendations on building, maintaining, and utilising registries, outlining general principles and guidance on issues related to governance, data collection, and structure and scope. As always, it takes more than just a diabetes registry to improve care. Registries must be designed and used not just for data generation, but always with the goal of improving outcomes for people with diabetes.

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For people with diabetes, the practical implications of integration are not theoretical, but fundamental to how people access and navigate the health system. Diabetes is a lifelong disease, with daily challenges requiring lifestyle adjustments and consistent engagement with therapies and technologies, a burden that can have significant physical and psychological repercussions if not properly managed. Greater integration of care therefore promotes a long-term and more holistic focus towards people with diabetes that is well suited to the complexity of the disease. Integration is about improving outcomes and improving the quality of life for people with diabetes, two aspects that are interrelated.

Nonetheless, the immensity of the topic often leads to a sense of paralysis and an uncertainty about where to begin. To make advances in integrated care, prioritisation is needed.

The European Diabetes Forum, a group consisting of healthcare professions, researchers, industry representatives, and people with diabetes, have put forward five priorities to make progress in integration. These are pragmatic strategies to improve integration in all care settings, including implementing assessment models, developing patient centred pathways for diabetes care, revamping educational curricula, and putting incentives in place to encourage cooperation and teamwork within and between primary and secondary care settings.

Integration is a process more than an end state. In the diverse countries of Europe, there is no magic formula for integration. What is important is to apply a general set of principles, analytical perspectives, and tools that over time will lead to long-term shifts in the way people experience care, and the way care is provided.

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The following document and series of recommendations, compiled by a representative group of the European Diabetes Forum consisting of healthcare professionals (HCPs), researchers, industry representatives, and people with diabetes, focuses on one crucial aspect of this digital revolution: mobile health applications, or “apps.”

Mobile apps is a burgeoning field of innovation in healthcare with enormous potential both to help people with diabetes track the multitude of information related to their condition, while also facilitating a more informed and data-driven approach to decision-making from HCPs. 

The following document examines some of general benefits of apps in diabetes, before delving into a more specific consideration of the role of medical apps. Medical apps are, appropriately, more tightly regulated and therefore require policy interventions, as they go beyond purposes of lifestyle, motivational, or educational support, and play a role in monitoring, treating, or managing diabetes.

The integration of medical apps into diabetes care poses many challenges. There are many new apps on the marketplace, but regulations and policy solutions must catch up to keep pace with the new technology. Countries are only now beginning to establish further procedures that allow for review, monitoring, and better integration of medical apps into clinical pathways.

The goal of public policy should be to nurture a responsible and responsive environment that unlocks the positive potential of digital innovation, one that puts the needs of people with diabetes first. To realise the potential of mobile apps, two conditions must be in place: apps must be easily available and accessible to people with diabetes and HCPs, and they should meet high standards of effectiveness and quality.

The recommendations that follow offer guidance and best practice examples on developing a user-centred app, on facilitating an access pathway for apps, and on supporting a swift and appropriate integration of medical apps into health systems.

In a continent as diverse as Europe, policy is not a one-size fits all proposition. But new solutions are needed to improve care and outcomes for people with diabetes, and apps offer enormous promise to give people with diabetes and HCPs alike the tools they need to better manage this condition. 

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The following calls to action are based on a scorecard benchmarking the level of service, IT and financial integration in 28 European countries, plus discussions with experts in diabetes management and integrated services.

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The findings of this research indicate five key enablers of access to digital diabetes tools, here we provide a summary of those enablers and how they can be leveraged to improve access to digital diabetes tools with the aim of improving outcomes for people with diabetes.

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Access the Digital Diabetes Index workbook

This policy paper highlights a number of interventions aimed at bringing the concept of more integrated care solutions for patients living with chronic diseases in Europe closer to reality. When conducting our research, our first focus was to identify enablers to overcome the barriers preventing the shift towards integrated care in Europe. We then developed policy recommendations to support the implementation of those enablers.

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This paper captures the insights and ambitions of patient advocacy groups, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and industry representatives focused on a better, and achievable, future for people with diabetes. 

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This description does not reflect the scientific evidence and suggests diabetes to be a mere issue of lifestyle, and thus of minor importance. 

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There is variation across Europe in how health systems manage diabetes and prevent complications, and significant differences in outcomes for people living with the condition.

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But which digital health interventions could be most beneficial for people with diabetes? How can data sharing improve outcomes, reduce health system costs and support up-take of innovative approaches to diabetes management and care? What are the barriers that need to be overcome in order to benefit from innovative technologies and therapies? 

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But how can healthcare systems consider different patient profiles and perspectives when designing care? What tools and technologies are needed to enhance the communication between providers on one side and between providers and patients on the other side? How can we align care coordination efforts among healthcare providers? 

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Registries play a significant role in collecting, measuring and reporting the health data that can inform these processes. Given the complex nature of managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, registries and health data can play an essential role in catalysing an evidence-based approach to disease management. 

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Unite behind this Call to Action which outlines the urgent and problematic diabetes situation in Europe, the underlying causes, and the directions for solutions. Together we need to enable healthcare systems to cope with the diabetes pandemic.

Read the Call to Action