Is the burden of diabetes in Australia underestimated?
A new study led by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data has found that rates of diabetes in Australia are potentially 35 percent higher than estimated.
Currently, around two million Australians are thought to be living with diabetes. The research team has developed a linked data algorithm using existing government administrative data in services for diabetes monitoring. The algorithm is highly sensitive in its design to detect and collect specific diabetes data.
This study highlights a major gap in how we currently monitor diabetes in Australia. If we are missing up to one in three people with diabetes in national estimates, we risk underdelivering on care and prevention. Accurate data is critical to the success of the National Diabetes Strategy.
“No study has previously compared linked administrative data to an Australian diabetes registry,” said Dr Alice Gibson, co-author of the paper published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.
The National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) is a federal government initiative established in 1987 and administered by Diabetes Australia to provide support to those living with diabetes, including access to services, support and subsidised diabetes products. The NDSS is also the basis for estimating the number of Australians living with diabetes.
“It is a wonderful support system,” said Dr Alice Gibson about the NDSS. “But it's a voluntary registry and we now have the tools with linked data via Medicare and other data collection points in the health system to identify people currently receiving diabetes care, not just those that are registered with the NDSS.
The research team used data from the 45 and Up Study, Australia’s largest ongoing study of health and ageing, administered by the Sax Institute, established in 2005 and following a cohort of 250,000 people to understand how we are ageing as a nation and the factors that promote good health and.
The research team, left to right: Professor Emeritus Stephen Colagiuri, Ms Emma Cox, Dr Juliana de Oliveira Costa, Associate Professor Michael Falster, Dr Joanne Gale, Dr Alice Gibson, Professor Natasha Nassar
“Participants in the Sax Institute’s longitudinal 45 and Up Study consented to have their survey data linked to their health records – Medicare claims, hospital records and medication prescriptions – which means we can now create a clearer picture of who is currently receiving diabetes care and support,” said lead author Emma Cox.
“This means that not only does our health care system have a more accurate representation of those living with diabetes, but the data can then be used to plan and allocate much-needed resources accordingly,” she said.
“This study highlights a major gap in how we currently monitor diabetes in Australia. If we are missing up to one in three people with diabetes in national estimates, we risk underdelivering on care and prevention. Accurate data is critical to the success of the National Diabetes Strategy, which aims to reduce the impact of diabetes across the population. These findings underscore the urgent need to modernise our surveillance systems,” said Dr Gibson.
The research team comprises Charles Perkins Centre members Dr Alice Gibson, Professor Natasha Nassar, Professor Emeritus Stephen Colagiuri, and PhD Candidate Ms Emma Cox, as well as Dr Joanne Gale from the Leeder Centre and two colleagues from the School of Population Health at UNSW Sydney: Associate Professor Michael Falster and Dr Juliana de Oliveira Costa.
We might be underestimating the burden of diabetes
