Management of type 2 diabetic patients attending diabetic outpatient clinics compared with those cared for by the general practitioners: an experience of integrated diabetes management.

To improve the quality of diabetes care, a project of integrated diabetes management (PIDM) involving some general practitioner (GPs) has been recently undertaken. The purpose of this study is to compare features and treatment of patients followed by diabetic outpatient clinics (DOCs) with those cared for by GPs trained to the PIDM. Twenty-one DOCs and eleven GPs participated in the study. Patients followed by DOCs (n. = 1110) showed longer duration of diabetes, higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than patients followed by GPs (n. = 305). More patients followed in DOCs performed insulin therapy, while a lower number received ACE /angiotensin blockers, antiplatelet, lipid lowering drugs and multifactorial intervention than patients followed by GPs. The proportion of patients in good control for glucose, pressure and lipid levels was similar in the two groups. Conversely, a higher number of patients attending DOCs were in poor glycemic, pressure, and lipid control compared with patients followed by GPs. In conclusions, PIDM provides satisfactory results in terms of overall glucose, pressure and lipid control, thus encouraging implementation of PIDM to meet the increasing demand for diabetes care.