Type 2 diabetes decision support tool available

Developed at the Department of Medicines Management, Keele University, the user-friendly software delivers individualised prescribing recommendations by cross-referencing patient profiles with multiple treatment algorithms that are built upon NICE guidance. In practice, the practitioner is prompted with a series of multiple choice and closed questions enabling the tool to create an individual patient profile. The application interrogates the treatment algorithms, and generates an appropriate patient-tailored treatment recommendation. The tool also provides the rationale behind each recommendation, supporting references and related NICE guidance, important management considerations, common treatment side-effects, drug costs and associated recommendations on the management of blood pressure and lipids.

Professor Stephen Chapman, Professor of Prescribing Studies at Keele University said: "With both recent NICE guidance and the growing number of anti-diabetes agents at our disposal we anticipate that this intuitive tool will easily guide the prescriber through what may otherwise be an ever more complex evidence base."

The tool is also designed to support the consultation process through the use of a novel diabetes 'dashboard' visual aid, the incorporation of the UKPDS risk engine and a personalised patient printout summarising the consultation.

Once installed, the tool is kept up-to-date via automatic online updates.

The Type 2 Diabetes Management Decision Support Tool was developed by Medicines Management, Keele University with the support of a financial grant provided by Takeda UK Ltd. Takeda's only involvement has been financial. Takeda reviewed the tool for technical accuracy but had no editorial control. The development and content of the tool is the sole responsibility of Medicines management, Keele University.