A new model for optimization of diabetes clinics with the case study in Iran.

Abstract

This study presented a new model for optimal assignment of human resources to 3-level defined clinicstoimprovethe managementof diabetes. First, the data of population and prevalence of diabetes and data about complications were gathered. Then,the numberof needed visits was calculated for different classes of diabetic people using guidelines.Onthe supply side,the maximumnumber of available visits for a given year by a givenspecialtywas calculated. Two scenarios were considered.The firstscenario calculated the number of neededspecialtiesto cover the guideline needs, whilethe secondreal-world scenario used human resource data to optimizethe assignmentof human resources to different levels of clinics. The highest and lowest required specialties per year are 2780 General practitioners (GPs) and 492 gastroenterologists. Seven hundred forty-oneendocrinologistsor internists are required each year to cover all the needs. The highest and lowest number of the availablespecialtieswere 4967 GPs and 35 nutritionists. 81% of citiescancover basic services, while even the lowest level of coverage is not possible in 19% of districts. The present study's findings advise the policymakers to train human resources based on available evidence and distribute the human resources based on an evidence-based model. This could be achieved using the private section resources. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-021-00939-4.