Integrated care for diabetes - The Singapore Approach

Authors

  • Su Qian Yeo Imperial College London
  • Matthew Harris Imperial College London
  • Azeem Majeed Imperial College London

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.810

Keywords:

integrated care, integration, diabetes management

Abstract

Background The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is 12.7% in Singapore. Managing people with diabetes in the community may be needed to reduce unnecessary utilisation of expensive specialist resources and to reduce hospital waiting times for patients with complications.

Care Practice The Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Delivering on Target (DOT) Programme was launched in 2005 to right-site clinically stable diabetic patients from the hospital to private DOT GPs. The Chronic Disease Management Office (CDMO) was established and a fully customised DOT information technology (IT) system was developed. Three initiatives were implemented: (i) Subsidised Drug Delivery Programme, (ii) Diagnostic Tests Incentive Programme, and (iii) Allied Healthcare Incentive Programme.

Discussion Right-siting was enabled through patient incentives that eased the burden of out-of-pocket expenditure. Right Siting Officers (RSOs) maintained a general oversight of the patient pathway. The integrated system supported shared care follow-up by enabling DOT GPs to share updates on the patients' health status with the referring specialists.

Conclusion A coherent process across all healthcare providers similar to the SGH DOT Programme may facilitate efforts to shift the care for people with diabetes to the community and to provide integrated care. Successful integration may require incentives for institutional partners and patients.

Author Biographies

  • Su Qian Yeo, Imperial College London
    Master of Public Health student, Imperial College London
  • Matthew Harris, Imperial College London

    Academic Clinical Lecturer in Public Health, Imperial College London, Public Health Specialist registrar, National Health Service

  • Azeem Majeed, Imperial College London
    Professor of Primary Care and Head of the Department of Primary Care & Public Health, Imperial College London

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Published

2012-03-06

Issue

Section

Integrated Care Cases