[Cost effectiveness and evaluation of a structured therapy and education program for insulin-treated type II diabetic...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the practicability and efficacy of a structured treatment and teaching programme (STTP) for Type II diabetic outpatients on conventional insulin treatment after introducing a remuneration for physicians. Reimbursement policy was introduced in the state of Brandenburg, Germany, in July 1993. Between August 1993 and February 1994, 108 practices in Brandenburg participated in a postgraduate seminar, which is a prerequisite for remuneration. Within the first year 10% of the target group of physicians participated in the seminars. A standardised interview was performed with 103 physicians. Twenty of the practices who had performed STTP were visited in order to collect data on all the patients who had participated in the programme. The seminar and the programme were well accepted. An improvement of HbA1c levels was observed in patients (n = 54) who had started insulin treatment (9.7 +/- 1.6% of total Hb before, 8.2 +/- 1.3% of total Hb after the programme) and in those (n = 189) who were already being treated with insulin before the STTP (9.6 +/- 2.5% of total Hb before, 8.1 +/- 1.4% of total Hb after the programme). The results of the study demonstrate the efficacy and practicability of an STTP for Type II diabetic patients on conventional insulin therapy in ambulatory health care.