Quality of care provided by general practitioners using or not using Division-based diabetes registers.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the quality of care provided by general practitioners participating in diabetes shared-care registers with that provided by GPs not using registers.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional comparison using Health Insurance Commission (HIC) data for patients attending the GPs.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

155 GPs using diabetes registers, 459 GPs not using registers, and their patients with diabetes (as identified by HIC criteria). The study analysed data for the period January 1996 to December 1998 and was based on Divisions of General Practice within the South Western Sydney Area Health Service.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Frequency of visits to GPs and tests ordered within each of six six-month periods.

RESULTS

GPs using the registers had more patients with diabetes, and saw those patients more frequently, than GPs not using registers. "Register" GPs also ordered tests (for HbA(1c) and microalbuminuria) more frequently than "non-register" GPs.

CONCLUSION

GPs who participated in diabetes registers were more likely to provide patient care that more closely adhered to evidence-based guidelines than those who did not. Further research is needed to determine whether this was the result of characteristics of the GPs themselves, or their practices, or a was a consequence of their participation.