Educational Projects, Audit and Survey Work

An audit of DPPIV-inhibitor use in Primary Care.

DPPIV-inhibitors, such as sitagliptin, are relatively new glucose-lowering agents and are being used to treat type 2 diabetes. They appear to have the advantages of weight neutrality, a low incidence of side effects, and minimal hypoglycaemia. These characteristics make them a suitable option for treating older people with diabetes. This project, funded by Merck, Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), investigated the use of all DPPIV-inhibitors in older subjects in several primary care settings. Data from more than 300 subjects has been accumulated. A report will be available in January 2012 and it is hoped that a paper for publication will be submitted shortly afterwards.

The THIN Database Project

IDOP has a 4-year licence to research this national GP (Primary Care) database which provides anonymised but comprehensive details of patients attending GP surgeries in England.  IDOP’s interest is specifically in the area of those patients with diabetes aged 70 years and over. A series of projects are being planned for 2012 which will examine the natural history of older patients with diabetes in terms of their co-morbidities, admission to hospital, medication histories, and their need for various health and social care interventions. This work may be the subject of study for students at both PhD and MSc levels.

Patient Safety and Diabetes, Renal and Cardiovascular Disease – Development and Use of an Interactive on-line Resource Tool

This is collaborative partnership work with Takeda UK. In the United Kingdom at the present time, wide-ranging changes in the provision of postgraduate medical education are taking place. Uncertainties on how these reforms will affect training and education in the NHS workforce are present. We feel that a need exists for examining alternative ways to enhance clinical care and competencies through external means. On-line resources and opportunities to engage in interactive seminars provide an innovative mechanism to deliver an educational resource.

The key objectives of this work have been summarised as follows:

• Development of an on-line educational resource on patient safety addressing three key clinical areas
• Production of an educational DVD on patient safety in the areas of diabetes, renal and cardiovascular disease, by completion of project.
• A package of 3 interactive seminars as part of the patient safety programme as part of information gathering, teaching, and raising awareness
• A package of 3 interactive seminars/workshops as part of the ‘roll-out’ of the programme that incorporates the results of this work

This work should commence in January 2012.