The situation as regards diabetes mellitus type 1 in Andalusia. Care data, use of advanced therapies and human resources

Abstract

Introduction: The representation of Spain in European epidemiological studies on diabetes is limited, with only one centre in the Hvidoere study and another in the SWEET study. No Spanish studies have been published that combine epidemiological data and care resources. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological data, care resources, and use of new technologies in all Andalusian hospitals that care for children with Diabetes Mellitus type 1 (DM1) under 14 years. Material and methods: An electronic questionnaire of 18 questions was sent to all paediatric endocrinologists who treated children with diabetes in Andalusian hospitals. Results: There was a mean of 3.12 (SD: 2.58) paediatric endocrinologist for every 100 patients, with a mean diabetes nurse educator ratio of 2.50 (SD: 3.94) per 100 patients and centre. Only 1 of the 29 centres had a psychologist, 9/29 had a day hospital, and 11/29 had a 24-hour telephone line. The mean of days of consultations exclusively for patients with DM1 was 1.56 days (SD: 1.21) per week. Continuous insulin infusion was used to treat 5% of patients, with a significant increase in centres with more than 150 patients. Conclusions: This study offers, for the first time, current data on the epidemiological situation related to health care data, comparing them with the recommendations of European standards, highlighting a low ratio of endocrinologists and educators in diabetes, absence of psychologists and low technology penetrance.