Abstract
BackgroundIn summer 2003 a disease management program (DMP) for type 2 diabetes was introduced on a nationwide basis in Germany. Patient participation and continuity of care within the DMP are important factors to achieve long-term improvements in clinical endpoints. Therefore it is of interest, if patients experience any positive or negative effects of the DMP on their treatment that would support or hamper further participation. The main objective of the study was to find out if the German Disease Management Program (DMP) for type 2 diabetes improves process and outcome quality of medical care for patients in the light of their subjective experiences over a period of one year.MethodsCohort study with a baseline interview and a follow-up after 10.4 ± 0.64 months. Data on process and outcome measures were collected by telephone interviews with 444 patients enrolled and 494 patients not enrolled in the German DMP for type 2 diabetes. Data were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analyses.ResultsDMP enrolment was significantly associated with a higher process quality of care. At baseline enrolled patients more often reported that they had attended a diabetes education course (OR = 3.4), have ≥ 4 contacts/year with the attending physician (OR = 3.3), have at least one annual foot examination (OR = 3.1) and one referral to an ophthalmologist (OR = 3.4) and possess a diabetes passport (OR = 2.4). Except for the annual referral to an ophthalmologist these parameters were also statistically significant at follow-up. In contrast, no differences between enrolled and not enrolled patients were found concerning outcome quality indicators, e.g. self-rated health, Glycated hemoglobin (GHb) and blood pressure. However, 16-36% of the DMP participants reported improvements of body weight and/or GHb and/or blood pressure values due to enrolment - unchanged within one year of follow-up.ConclusionsIn the light of patient's experiences the DMP enhances the process quality of medical care for type 2 diabetes in Germany. The lack of significant differences in outcome quality between enrolled and not enrolled patients might be due to the short program duration. Our data suggest that the DMP for type 2 diabetes should not be withdrawn unless an evidently more promising approach is found.
Highlights
In summer 2003 a disease management program (DMP) for type 2 diabetes was introduced on a nationwide basis in Germany
According to latest data in January 2006 75% of the general practitioners (GPs) in Germany participated in the DMP [2]. 6 years after the start of the DMP, in August 2009, approximately 64% of the estimated five million compulsorily insured patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled into the program [3]
Concerning process quality we investigated whether according to the experiences of the patients the medical services defined in the DMP were delivered by the attending physicians
Summary
In summer 2003 a disease management program (DMP) for type 2 diabetes was introduced on a nationwide basis in Germany. Patient participation and continuity of care within the DMP are important factors to achieve long-term improvements in clinical endpoints. In summer 2003 a disease management program (DMP) for type 2 diabetes was introduced on a nationwide basis within the statutory health insurance, which covers 86% of the German population. Participation in the DMP is voluntary for physicians and patients and connected with financial incentives for both provided by the statutory health insurances. These in turn promote participation heavily as they obtain a significant financial benefit for every enrolled patient [1]. Further elements of the program are the documentation of the course of disease and treatment every 3-6 months, reminders for physicians and patients and a continuous evaluation of the DMP [4]
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