A report published by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) highlights a critical issue in diabetes care across Europe: the insufficient consultation time that people with diabetes receive from General Practitioners (GPs). This significant barrier is increasingly linked to poorer health outcomes, contributing to higher rates of complications and rising healthcare costs.
In the UK, the average GP consultation lasts only 9.2 minutes—one of the shortest durations in Europe. This brief consultation period stands in stark contrast to countries like Sweden, where GPs spend around 20.5 minutes with each person. The disparity in consultation times is especially concerning given the complexity of managing diabetes, which requires thorough assessments, patient education, and tailored treatment plans.
The report emphasises that these time constraints prevent GPs from providing comprehensive care, leading to inadequate management of diabetes. This shortfall not only exacerbates health complications, such as those of the heart and the nerves, but also results in increased healthcare costs due to the need for more intensive complications management interventions at later stages.
The situation in Poland is similarly worrying, where limited GP consultation times have been directly linked to delays in diagnosis and necessary adjustments to treatment. These delays contribute to the already substantial burden of diabetes complications in the country.
To address these challenges, the EFPIA report advocates for urgent policy changes that prioritise longer consultation times in primary care settings. By allowing GPs more time to engage with people with diabetes, significant improvements in health outcomes can be achieved, ultimately reducing the long-term costs associated with diabetes care.
Read the full report here: https://www.efpia.eu/media/677331/revealing-policy-barriers-in-diabetes-care.pdf
Advocacy Action:
As advocates, it is crucial to push your country’s parliamentarians for policy reforms that address these systemic issues. Campaigning for extended GP consultation times is essential to ensure that every person with diabetes receives the comprehensive care they need to manage their condition effectively and reduce the burden on the healthcare system, where specialists are later needed to manage complications. Use the report to highlight the statistics from your country and how they compare with others.