Common ground is needed to improve diabetes care – Sundsvall Tidenning

continuity Diabetes care has deteriorated. Many don’t see a diabetes specialist every year, and among people with type 2 diabetes, just over one in three see different doctors during their visits. This is what the Diabetes Barometer 2023 shows. Here, Västernorrland finishes in joint 17th place, which shows that there are very significant development needs in the field of diabetes care in the province.

The Diabetes Barometer 2023 is based on statistics from the National Diabetes Register and survey answers from 3,530 members of the Swedish Diabetes Society. A total of 15 factors were analysed. It is important to understand that diabetes is a complex chronic disease, which requires regular contact with health care to avoid short- and long-term health risks and ensure a good quality of life for the individual.

So shall we achieve? Quality and close care will be made more equal across the country, thus continuity must be improved. When members point to what has deteriorated the most compared to last year, this is precisely the area. In Västernorrland County, where about 10,000 people live with diabetes, one in seven answer that the continuum of diabetes care works poorly.

Lack of consistency is a particular problem for diabetics. This disease is stressful for the individual and requires regular care. For example, people with well-treated type 2 diabetes should see their primary care twice a year.

In people If people with diabetes do not have regular contact with the same healthcare personnel, the risk of worsening self-care and missing early signs of complications increases. This, of course, affects the individual, but it also leads to higher costs for treating complications. The latter account for about 70 percent of diabetes care costs.

We know that the region is in a very difficult financial situation, but we need to continue to develop and improve diabetes care in Västernorrland, not least in terms of continuity, otherwise we risk facing significant costs in the future. This will be the outcome if we are to manage the costs of serious complications and loss of production as a result of diabetes.

This is unsustainable both for those of us living with the disease and for the region’s already stretched budget.

Jan-Ak Westerlund, President of the Diabetes Association of Västernorrland