title: Quality of care in diabetes: understanding the guidelines.
abstract: We are in the midst of a global pandemic of diabetes. Despite the increasing burden of the disease, measurements of quality repeatedly show poor adherence to or implementation of current guidelines for diabetes care. This article will provide a brief review of the most significant randomized controlled clinical trials relevant to the current guidelines and then discuss essential treatment goals and the evidence that supports them. Several practical clinical questions related to the implementation of modern diabetes guidelines will be raised and answered. Finally, reasons for the poor quality performance observed will be examined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216-4505, USA. mbouldin@medicine.umsmed.edu
authors.forename: Marshall J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bouldin
authors.forename: Annette K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: Joseph W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Blackston
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Duddleston
authors.forename: Honey E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Holman
authors.forename: G Swink
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: C Andrew
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001241:Aspirin