Diabetes LibGuide

Burden of disease analysis quantifies the gap between a population’s actual health and an ideal level of health—that is, every individual living without disease or injury to the theoretical maximum life span—in a given year. Burden of disease is measured using the summary measure disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). One DALY is 1 year of ‘healthy life’ lost due to illness (non-fatal burden, Years Lived with Disability) and/or death (fatal burden, Years of Life Lost)—the more DALYs associated with a disease or injury, the greater the burden. The total disease burden is the sum of all DALYs (burden) estimated for all diseases and injuries in the year of study for the whole population.
The attributable burden reflects the direct relationship between a risk factor (for example, overweight and obesity) and a disease outcome. It is the amount of burden that could be avoided if the risk factor were removed or reduced to the lowest possible exposure. The Australian Burden of Disease Study (ABDS) 2015 provides burden of disease estimates for 216 diseases/injuries and 38 risk factors in Australia, at the national level and for various population groups. Details on the methods used to calculate burden of disease in the Australian Study are in the AIHW report Australian Burden of Disease Study: methods and supplementary material 2015 (AIHW 2019c).

The availability of and access to technology for the management of diabetes has changed in recent times and a range of technology for monitoring glucose levels, such as continuous glucose monitoring, flash glucose monitoring, and self-management tools such as mobile phone apps are used. Other devices, such as insulin pumps, have been available for the last few decades in Australia. There is a lack of comprehensive national data about the use of technology to manage diabetes and the impact of the technology on short-term and long-term diabetes-related complications, and the approval, access, and distribution pathways for these technologies. This report describes the data sources currently available for monitoring the use of technology in the management of diabetes; identifies gaps and provides recommendations for future work. The report also briefly outlines the approval, access, and distribution pathways for diabetes technology in Australia.

The Australian Government has funded ANDA since 1998. It is one of the few Australian longitudinal studies into diabetes. Every year, ANDA collects, collates, analyses, audits and reports on data relating to clinical diabetes, patient education self-care. The National Association of Diabetes Centres collects data from specialist diabetes centres across all states and territories in Australia. Specialist diabetes centres use the data to check their own processes and patient outcomes against other Australian centres. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare also uses data from the project to prepare their diabetes reports.

The Australian Government has developed a new national diabetes strategy. This strategy updates and prioritises the response to diabetes for all governments. The strategy does not replace or override existing any processes that the Australian healthcare system already uses. The strategy presents ways for states and territories to work with the Australian Government, to develop and support approaches for diabetes prevention and management.

Chronic conditions are the focus of significant research and policy interest in Australia. There is an ongoing need to review, refine and reassess how chronic conditions should be monitored. The AIHW has identified an ongoing need to review, refine and assess how chronic conditions should be monitored generally and what is measurable across the spectrum of risk factors, incidence/prevalence, health care (primary health care and hospitalisation), comorbidities, functional limitation/disability, the burden of disease, mortality, and expenditure. The first step in this process is to determine which conditions should be monitored, and in what context. This working paper summarises an approach by the AIHW NCMCC to define and select chronic conditions for collective monitoring in Australia with greater transparency. The aim of this approach is to improve consistency and provide guiding principles for the definition of chronic conditions for collective monitoring and thereby improving national statistics for health policy, planning and research.

Australian diabetes report 2010 — 2045 is produced by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) who is an umbrella organization of over 240 national diabetes associations in 168 countries and territories. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The Federation has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950. IDF’s mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention, and a cure worldwide. IDF is engaged in action to tackle diabetes from the local to the global level ― from programs at the community level to worldwide awareness and advocacy initiatives.