What is the Changing Diabetes Map?
The Changing Diabetes Map is an interactive web-based tool which displays summarised average HbA1c data from different geographic regions within Australia. Regions range from Divisions of General Practice to states. An additional search facility also enables data to be displayed by postcode.

Why has the Changing Diabetes Map been created?
The Changing Diabetes Map aims to raise awareness of diabetes control by sharing HbA1c values in a visual and user friendly format. Providing access to average HbA1c levels through an interactive website which can be searched by postcode, division of General Practice or at a state level allows information to be easily accessible to health care providers, policy makers and patients. It also provides an opportunity to identify regions which may be able to contribute their better practice models or those regions which may benefit from initiatives and programmes to improve patient outcomes.

Limitations of the accessed data
The summary data currently available on the Changing Diabetes Map is from the 2007 calendar year dataset and provides a snapshot of HbA1c levels.
Summary data accessed via the Changing Diabetes Map is reported only when the data sample represents more than 20% of the predicted 7% prevalence of diabetes  within a Division of General Practice. As such there may be divisions where the sample does not meet this threshold and access is restricted (a RED text box will appear in the middle of the screen). There may also be suburbs where the data sample did not reach more than 20% of the predicted prevalence of diabetes and access to this is also restricted. The accessed data is represented as a percentage and the Map does not have the ability to display absolute numbers.
A suburb may have reached >20% HbA1c data however extra filtered data is still required i.e. M/F ratio and HbA1c% breakdown. You may find suburbs or divisions with 100% of people having HbA1c<7% or a particular area having 0% of patients with HbA1c >9%. As soon as the filtered data is available, cleaned and analysed it will be uploaded to the Changing Diabetes Map.

Will the data be regularly updated?
In order to maintain integrity, HbA1c data was cleaned and analysed by a process of removing screening HbA1c tests, then removing duplicates so that the most recent HbA1c for a patient was used as the "snap shot" starting point. HbA1c readings <6% were also cleaned and filtered out of the final data set.
The data will be collected, cleaned and analysed annually for the next five years (2007-2012). Annual updated summary data will be made available for access through the Changing Diabetes Map providing a framework to track and monitor HbA1c levels. This also provides the potential to analyse data trends and determine the impact of targeted interventions.

Where does the data come from?
The Changing Diabetes Map has been possible through the funding grant supplied by Novo Nordisk, the support and assistance of Sonic Health Care Australia, Symbion Pathology, Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Central Queensland Pathology Laboratory, Barratt & Smith Pathology, Douglas Hanly Moir Pathology, Southern.IML Pathology, Capital Pathology, Melbourne Pathology, Hobart Pathology, Launceston Pathology, North West Pathology, Clinipath Pathology, Clinpath Laboratories, Western Diagnostic Pathology at this stage. As we get more pathology companies interested in this initiative our references and Changing Diabetes Map will be updated.
No hospital based Pathologies contributed data.

Where did the Divisional Information come from?
The Divisional information was sourced from Australian General Practice Network
and Primary Health Care Research and Information Service

What other information can the Changing Diabetes Map provide?
The data initially includes the average HbA1c based on the postcode of the health care provider requesting the test, by division of General Practice and by state. The summary data is also presented in terms of percentage of patients within given HbA1c ranges, (HbA1c <7%; 7.1%< HbA1c <8%; 8.1%< HbA1c <9%; 9.1%< HbA1c) and also the percentage of males and females within each of the ranges.
Future expression of the summary data will report on the age distribution for each HbA1c bracket helping Health Care Providers identify where intensification of therapy would be appropriate. Future summary data that will become accessable include LDL, Urine Mirco-albumin, eGFR.

For further information on the Changing Diabetes Map please contact Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals

Last updated: March 2009
CAID/CD006