2010/10/25 by T. L. Guldberg, Trine Lignell Guldberg, Peter Vedsted +4
Health Professions · Medicine · #Diabetes Management and Education #Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins #Primary Care and Health Outcomes
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1464-5491.2010.03178.x
openalex publication_date 2010/10/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
AIMS: To evaluate the effect of an electronic feedback system to general practitioners on quality of Type 2 diabetes care. METHODS: A cluster randomized, controlled trial with 15 months follow-up. Eighty-six general practices (158 general practitioners) in a Danish county caring for 2458 people 40-70 years old with Type 2 diabetes were randomized to receive or not to receive electronic feedback on quality of care. People with Type 2 diabetes were identified using a validated algorithm. Primary end-points were processes of care according to guidelines on prescriptions redeemed for Type 2 diabetes treatments, measuring of glycated haemoglobin and cholesterol and visits to ophthalmologists. Secondary end-points were changes in level of glycated haemoglobin and serum cholesterol. Data were analysed using generalized linear models accounting for clustering at practice level. RESULTS: During follow-up, people with Type 2 diabetes in the intervention group more often redeemed recommended prescriptions than people in the control group, respectively, as follows: oral antidiabetic treatment (32.8 vs. 12.0%, P =0.002), insulin treatment (33.8 vs. 12.4%, P < 0.001), lipid-lowering medication (38.3 vs. 18.6%, 0.004) and blood pressure medication (27.6 vs. 16.3%, P = 0.026). There were no differences in mean glycated haemoglobin and serum cholesterol between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Electronic feedback to general practitioners on the quality of Type 2 diabetes care resulted in significantly improved quality regarding processes of care according to guidelines. It was not possible to demonstrate any effect on secondary end-point measures within the follow-up period. Electronic feedback on quality of diabetes care can be effective in improving adherence to treatment according to evidence-based guidelines.