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Telemonitoring improves clinical outcomes in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), however, cost structure analyses are lacking. This study seeks to explore the cost structure of telemonitoring for the elderly with AH and T2D in primary care and identify factors influencing costs for potential future expansions.

Arterial hypertension and type 2 diabetes are significant contributors to global non-communicable disease-related mortality. Integrated care, centred on person-centred principles, aims to enhance healthcare quality and access, especially for vulnerable populations. This study investigates integrated care for these diseases in Slovenia, providing a comprehensive analysis of facilitators and barriers influencing scalability.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and arterial hypertension (AH) are among the greatest challenges facing health systems worldwide and require comprehensive patient-centred care. The key to successful management in chronic patients is self-management support, which was found to be only weakly implemented in Slovenia. The aim of the study is to develop an evidence-based model of peer support for people with T2D and AH at the primary healthcare level in Slovenia, which could represent a potential solution for upgrading integrated care for these patients.

Arterial hypertension (AH) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) represent a significant burden for the public health system, with an exceptionally high prevalence in patients aged ≥65 years. This study aims to test the acceptability, clinical effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of telemonitoring in elderly patients with AH and T2D at the primary care level.

Although the concept of integrated care for non-communicable diseases was introduced at the primary level to move from disease-centered to patient-centered care, it has only been partially implemented in European countries. The aim of this study was to identify and compare identified facilitators and barriers to scale-up this concept between Slovenia and Belgium.

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases, such as arterial hypertension (HTN) and type-2 diabetes (T2D), pose a global public health problem. Integrated care with focus on person-centred principles aims to enhance healthcare quality and access. Previous qualitative research has identified facilitators and barriers for scaling-up integrated care, however the lack of standardized terms and measures hinder cross-country comparisons. This paper addresses these gaps by presenting a generic codebook for qualitative research on integrated care implementation for HTN and T2D. Description: The codebook serves as a tool for deductive or deductive-inductive qualitative analysis, organizing concepts and themes from qualitative data. It consists of nine first level and 39 second level themes. First level codes cover core issues; and second level codes provide detailed insights into facilitators and barriers. Discussion: This codebook is more widely applicable than previously developed tools because it includes a broader scope of stakeholders across micro, meso, and macro levels, and the themes being derived from highly diverse health systems across highand low-income countries. Conclusion: The codebook is a useful tool for implementation research on integrated care for HTN and T2D at global scale. It facilitates cross-country learning, contributing to improved implementation, scale-up and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine the psychometric properties of the Slovenian versions of the Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES), both the long form (S-DES-LF) and the short form (S-DES-SF)., Methods: Between April and September 2023, we recruited adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using convenient sampling in five primary health centres. We examined internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) evaluated the fit of the one-and three-factor models for S-DES-SF and S-DES-LF, respectively., Results: The results of 288 individuals, with a mean age of 67 ± 9.2 years, including 132 men and 156 women, showed excellent internal consistency and strong test-retest reliability for both the S-DES-LF (Cronbach's α=0.90; ICC=0.95) and S-DES-SF (α=0.91; ICC=0.92). Criterion validity of the S-DES-LF was confirmed through known-groups validity, with higher education (p=0.016) and absence of comorbid hypertension (p=0.034) associated with greater empowerment. Discriminant validity was demonstrated by the lack of significant correlations between the S-DES-LF and S-DES-SF scores with age or gender. CFA confirmed a good fit for the S-DES-SF's one-factor model but not for S-DES-LF three-factor model., Conclusions: S-DES-LF and S-DES-SF are valid and reliable tools for assessing diabetes empowerment in Slovenian people with T2D. Future research should further explore the convergent validity of scales., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To review the effect of telemedicine interventions on cardiovascular risk factors control in people with arterial hypertension (AH), type 2 diabetes (T2D), or both in primary care., Methods: We conducted a systematic review in February 2024 using PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases. We included randomised controlled trials from 2010 onwards, lasting ≥3 months, comparing telemedicine to standard care for managing cardiovascular risk factors in adults with AH, T2D, or both., Results: Among 1803 records, 54 were included. Telemonitoring with teleconsultations showed the best outcomes. For AH, systolic blood pressure decreased by -5.63 mmHg (95% CI -9.13 to -2.13) at 6 months and -5.59 mmHg (95% CI -10.03 to -1.14) at 12 months compared to standard care. For T2D, HbA1c decreased by -0.45% (95% CI -0.90 to 0.00) at 6 months and -0.18% (95% CI -0.41 to 0.05) at 12 months compared to standard care. Blood glucose self-monitoring was as effective as telemonitoring for T2D at 6 months. The effect on diastolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and body mass index was non-significant., Discussion: Telemedicine offers short-term benefits but lacks long-term effectiveness. Optimal outcomes require a combined telemedicine approach, health education co-intervention, ≥12-month follow-up, and careful patient selection., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.