Disease-Management-Programs in the Field of Diabetes Mellitus with Identification of the Best Practice in Europe: A Scoping Review.

ABSTRACT

The objective of this scoping review was to create an up-to-date descriptive overview of published Disease-Management-Program evaluations conducted within Europe. We also assessed the methodological quality of the evaluation and the comparability of the included studies. The Databases Pub Med via Medline and Embase via Ovid were searched for thematically fitting publications. Out of 649 initial titles and abstracts, 45 full-texts were screened for inclusions. Finally, 21 publications met all inclusion criteria. DMPs from Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Great Britain were included. The results are tabulated in the results section and discussed descriptively. Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies and the application of sometimes potentially biased study design comparisons were difficult. A uniform European-wide evaluation strategy and common quality features would be desirable.