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Improvements in quality of care of patients with diabetes in primary care in Tunisia

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Hugh Alberti

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Abstract

Worldwide, the quality of diabetes care is suboptimal, yet few, studies have been undertaken in primary care in developing nations. We sought to evaluate whether the quality of diabetes care in primary care health centres in Tunisia has improved since the initiation of a National Program of Hypertension and Diabetes Management. We conducted a retrospective medical review of process and outcome, measures and treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes attending primary care health centres in Tunisia. Data were collected from patients attending 48 randomly selected health centres from the whole country from 2000-2002, and a subset of patients attending 14 randomly selected centres from the south of the country from 2000-2004. The national cohort included 2030 patients, and the southern subset 593. Six of nine process measurements improved significantly in the national cohort, five of nine in the southern subset (p<0.05). There were significant improvements in body mass index and a trend towards improvement in fasting glucose level over the three-year period nationally, and significant improvements in body mass index, fasting glucose and diastolic blood pressure over the five-year period in the southern cohort. Highly significant increases a the proportion of patients being prescribed ACE inhibitors (1.9% vs 7.8%, p<0.001) and lipid-lowering agents (8.5% vs 14.7%, p<0.001) were also noted in the national cohort We have demonstrated a possible trend in improvement in the quality of care of patients with diabetes managed in the primary care setting in Tunisia over a five-year period from 2000-2004. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Alberti H, Boudriga N, Nabli M

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Practical Diabetes International

Year: 2007

Volume: 24

Issue: 3

Pages: 152-157

ISSN (print): 1357-8170

ISSN (electronic): 1528-252X

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pdi.1081

DOI: 10.1002/pdi.1081


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