Database Supported Long-term Management of Chronic Diseases – Data from the German Disease Management Programmes as a Source for Continuing Medical Education.

Disease Management Programmes (DMPs) have been introduced by German Federal Government in 2002 to improve long-term care for patients with specific chronic diseases. Digitisation has been a requirement to reliably document patient data in DMPs. This report presents data from six DMPs in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It demonstrates that high level long-term quality of care can be achieved and maintained. But beyond clinical purposes DMP data are also an invaluable source to supply content in CME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]