EARLY SCREENING AND EARLY ACTION FOR LOWER PREVALENCE AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DIABETES
Diabetes is a complex condition resulting from the interplay of several modifiable and non-modifiable factors that requires systemic changes to overturn the tide. Driven partly by a diabetogenic environment and an ageing population, the number of people living with the condition continues to rise unabated. Currently, 10% of the global adult population lives with diabetes. This represents 537 million adults and this number is expected to increase to 640 million by 2030 If urgent action is not put in place. Diabetes also accounts for about 10% of total healthcare spending in Europe and the aggregate diabetes costs to society through lost productivity may be as much as five times the direct healthcare costs. Diabetes has a devastating effect not only on the lives of those living with it but also on those of their carers, friends and families. The stress and anxiety stemming from the constant burden of managing the condition, 24/7, also affects their mental health, leading to a higher risk of depression in people living with diabetes than in the general population.
About half the people living with type 2 diabetes are undiagnosed. The longer a person lives with diabetes undiagnosed, the more likely it is that there will be important and costly complications. Up to 50% of people living with diabetes (PwD) already show signs of complications, such as cardiovascular disease, vision loss, and kidney disease, by the time they are diagnosed. Similarly, once identified to be at risk or diagnosed with diabetes, early action and access to the appropriate lifestyle interventions, medication, tools and technologies are critical to bring people’s glycaemic levels into a desired range and reduce the risk of long-term, diabetes-related complications. A sensitivity analysis in the USA demonstrated a 25% relative reduction in diabetes-related complication rates for a two-year earlier diagnosis. Recent studies have also shown that tighter and earlier glycaemic control, which reduces glycaemic variability and improves time in range, can further improve outcomes.
Screening campaigns which target at-risk individuals have proved to be very cost-effective, while we know that 75% of diabetes-related costs derive from often preventable complications. The World Health Organization suggested that every dollar spent on the prevention and treatment of diabetes saves US$3.12 from additional health costs and lost economic activity. Investing in reducing underlying risk factors such as unbalanced diet and physical inactivity can save up to seven dollars for every one invested.
We know what to do. There is no more time to lose. We must act early – on prevention, screening and treatment – to make a meaningful difference, stem the diabetes epidemic and ensure people living with diabetes can be guaranteed their right to a long and healthy life!
UKRAINE NEWS
Support for people living with diabetes affected by the war in Ukraine
IDF Europe is extremely concerned for PwD in Ukraine and those displaced as a consequence of the unprovoked war. Since the beginning of the conflict, as well as calling for an immediate end to it, we have been working with our international partners and member associations on ensuring the delivery of medicines, devices and supplies that PwD require in Ukraine and in the countries in which Ukrainian citizens seek refuge.
Centralising information is key to helping people access it easily. To facilitate this, IDF Europe has developed the platform "Connect Solidarity", which gathers information to help Ukrainians living with diabetes understand what support they can get in the country where they are displaced, and how to get it, as well as resources that can be used by healthcare professionals and people in need of medical or psychological support living with diabetes and/or other conditions. Currently, information for the platform also highlights the fundraising initiatives endorsed by IDF Europe to support the delivery of medical supplies to PwD in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, as well as our own fundraising efforts to support the work of our member associations that are offering assistance and support to Ukrainian refugees living with diabetes.
To know more about our initiative, how you can donate, join, or support our efforts, click on the button below:
Direct Relief operational update
To ensure the delivery of medicines and devices that PwD require in Ukraine and in the countries in which Ukrainian citizens are displaced, IDF and IDF Europe have been working closely with the humanitarian aid organisation Direct Relief, which is collaborating with the Ministries of Health in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries, to provide requested medical aid and assistance in the region.
Since the beginning of the war, Direct Relief has been able to deploy more than 250 tons of medical aid to Ukraine, including 48,883 vials of insulin and 12,315 prefilled pens during the month of April, with further deliveries being scheduled for the month of May.
Read more here
IDF EUROPE NEWS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
IDF Europe continues its work with the Patients and Consumers Working Party at the European Medicines Agency for the 2022-2025 term
We are delighted to announce that IDF Europe will continue to be one of the 22 patients and consumers organisations working hand in hand with the Healthcare Professionals Working Party and the Human Scientific Committees at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), for the period 2022-2025.
The Patients and Consumers Working Party (PCWP) serves as a platform for exchange and discussion between regulators and various organisations on medicines-related issues. The PCWP engages with EMA initiatives, policy development and implementation and activities aimed at supporting the implementation of EU legislation and promotes a better understanding and awareness of the Agency’s activities.
IDF Europe is strongly committed to continue bringing the voice and perspectives of people living with diabetes into EU/EMA initiatives and proposals and is looking forward to engaging with the work of the PCWP in the new term.
Read more here
IDF Europe twinning programme
We are delighted to announce that the matching phase of the twinning programme has now started. We are currently contacting all member associations that have expressed an interest in participating in the programme to set up conversations to match associations’ strengths and needs, and to define the format, topic, and objectives of their exchange.
We are looking forward to facilitating the programme and helping associations maximise the impact of their activities by connecting, giving, and receiving support.
If your association should still like to be considered for the twinning programme, please contact martina.boccardo@idf-europe.org.
Learn more about the programme on our website.
IDF Europe Regional Board - call for nominations
The International Diabetes Federation European Region is calling for the nomination of members for its Regional Board 2023-2025. The elections will be held at the IDF Europe Regional Council in Lisbon, Portugal, on December 4, 2022.
IDF Europe seeks inspiring and motivated candidates to improve health outcomes and quality of life for people living with diabetes in Europe, and to elevate diabetes on the political agenda.
Click here to learn more about the open positions, the selection criteria and the nomination process.
We are looking for a new Junior Communications Officer!
IDF Europe is looking for a new Junior Communications Officer to join the team. The job holder will support the development and management of IDF Europe's internal and external communication activities.
Interested and qualified candidates should send a curriculum vitae and a cover letter to describe interest and relevance to the position to idfeurope@idf-europe.org.
The successful applicant is expected to start as soon as possible.
Find more information about the position here
NEWS FROM EUROPE
WHO Europe - training initiatives on tackling diabetes in Georgia
WHO/Europe recently released a case study, “Georgia – training initiatives on tackling diabetes: NCD stories from the field”. The publication describes the implementation of the project by the Georgian Government, supported by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and co-funded by the Government of Denmark, to improve access of PwD to high-quality care from their local primary healthcare (PHC).
With non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounting for 94% of all deaths in the country, the project focused on raising the quality of care for PwD by working with the PHC staff of eight clinics on:
- Establishing pathways, protocols, and guidelines
Developing curricula
Identifying and monitoring indicators of progress
Creating multidisciplinary courses on patient education using a people-centred approach
Read more here
IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION WORK
Healthy living with diabetes – be wise, immunise!
World Immunisation Week is a global event highlighting the collective action needed to promote the use of vaccines and protect people of all ages and their communities against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Vaccinations represent an important tool for people living with diabetes as they are at higher risk of severe complications from many vaccine-preventable diseases compared to the general population.
To promote and improve access to vaccines for PwD, on World Immunisation Week, IDF Europe called on governments and private entities to implement the following measures:
- Raise awareness among, and educate, PwD and healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the benefits and risks of vaccination in relation to the management of their condition, and encourage HCPs to discuss and offer vaccination as a matter of course to PwD
- Make all relevant vaccines available and easily accessible free of charge to all PwD, including for hard-to-reach, marginalised and disadvantaged groups
- Set up more effective monitoring systems for vaccination coverage to inform future policy making
- Implement WHO/Europe’s Tailoring Immunization Programmes to develop solutions “to support, motivate and enable people to be vaccinated”
Read IDF Europe's position paper on the vaccination of PwD here
Read the full article here
IDF Europe submits its final list of priorities to the EU NCDs Initiative – Healthier Together
On April 30, 2021, the European Commission (EC) closed its feedback period for all interested stakeholders to share their list of priorities in the context of the EU Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Initiative – Healthier Together. The Healthier Together Initiative was launched by the EC in December 2021, with the aim of helping Member States (MS) reduce the burden of major NCDs such as diabetes.
A final consensus document, described as a “toolkit to guide and coordinate action on NCDs” will be published by the EC in June. Below is a list of diabetes priorities shared with the EC by IDF Europe. We hope this Initiative will help improve the prevention of diabetes and other chronic conditions, as well as the treatment, health outcomes and quality of life of the 32 million adults living with diabetes in the European Union.
- Primary prevention of Type 2 diabetes (T2D)
- Screening and early action
- Improved diabetes management – secondary prevention
- Developing integrated, patient-centred care models and value-based care for improved quality of life and outcomes
- Reducing inequalities in health outcomes
For more information on our recommendations, please click here.
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS
Participate in the DigiCare4You survey to help design an effective and innovative mHealth tool to tackle type 2 diabetes and hypertension
IDF Europe is part of the five-year DigiCare4You Horizon-2020 EU-funded project which aims to improve the early prevention and management of T2D and hypertension (HTN) via a community-based, person-centred solution, integrating both social and healthcare systems, supported by the use of digital tools.
The consortium is now looking for help in designing an mhealth App. Please support the project by participating in a short survey. This will investigate the facilitators and barriers to mHealth apps from the point of view of both end users and healthcare professionals.
Please share the link to the survey with your peers or colleagues!
Access the DigiCare4You survey here and follow the project on twitter @DigiCare4You.
Perspectives on the RECOGNISED project from people living with diabetes
IDF Europe leads work package 9 involved in communications and dissemination activities for the four-year Horizon 2020 RECOGNISED research project, bringing together 21 different partners from nine countries. RECOGNISED seeks to determine whether events taking place in the retina in people living with T2D can be used as a marker of changes occurring in the brain signaling cognitive impairment and dementia. For this purpose, a four-year research project is being conducted, consisting of experimental and clinical studies.
We gathered testimonials from six Spanish participants in the clinical studies, to gain further insights into their experiences of living with their condition and their reasons for joining the RECOGNISED trials. The main points raised during these interviews were as follows:
- The general population is not adequately informed about type 2 diabetes and its complications
- The main reason behind the participation in the clinical trial was a worrying memory loss
The participants wanted to learn more about their conditions and improve their health
They also wanted to contribute to science and help others in the same situation
Read more from participants living with T2D and cognitive impairment in the context of the RECOGNISED project here.
IDFE/Trials@Home at SCOPE – working with a Patient Expert Panel to evaluate the concept of Decentralised Clinical Trials in a pan-European setting
IDF Europe is one of the consortium partners in EU-funded research project, Trials@Home. The project aims to reshape clinical trial design, conduct and operations by developing and piloting standards, recommendations, and tools for the definition and operationalisation of decentralised clinical trials (DCTs) in Europe. Launched in 2019, the project is now embarking on its next phase – a clinical pilot trial, RADIAL. IDF Europe facilitates the engagement of PwD through a panel of experts to ensure that their experiences, needs and preferences are heard.
On April 20, Maartje Roskams, our Youth and Project Coordinator, gave a presentation on the importance of patient engagement at the SCOPE congress in Barcelona, alongside consortium Members Tanja Keiper (Merck) and Bart Lagerwaard (UMC Utrecht).
Read more here
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