Sept. 7, 2016
Europe
Practice
Engaging and empowering people and communities,
Reorienting the model of care,
Coordinating services within and across sectors,
Creating an enabling environment
Strengthening diabetes service delivery at the primary care level in Iceland
Following grassroots efforts to increase the role of primary care providers in managing patients with diabetes, formal clinical guidelines to support diabetes care delivery at the primary level were published in 2009. The delivery of diabetes-related care in primary settings is increasing as a result; knowledge gained through experiences working abroad provided inspiration for the initiative and fostered local innovation; informal discussions among providers had sufficient power to initially motivate and direct change; incorporating trainings for providers into the formal education system helped to establish a new standard of care and ensured sustainability of knowledge.