The introduction of nurse-led diabetes clinics in GP surgeries could benefit patients and the health service overall, a new Irish study has found.

According to a team of Dublin-based health professionals, including a GP, two GP trainees and a clinical nurse specialist in diabetes, almost 130,000 adults are now estimated to have type 2 diabetes, which is over 4% of the adult population.

"The cost of this preventable condition to the Irish health service is estimated at €2,468 per patient per annum, two-thirds of which is spent on the management of diabetes complications," they pointed out.

While diabetes care has traditionally been delivered in the hospital setting, as the population of those with the condition grows, ‘there is a need for primary care to take on a greater role in managing this chronic condition', the researchers said.

They emphasised that most GPs provide high levels of care to their patients with diabetes, however this is ‘mainly unstructured'.

They set out to assess the effectiveness of a structured nurse-led diabetes clinic located in a GP surgery in Dublin's Rialto.

The study focused on 69 patients with diabetes. Most had medical cards and almost six in 10 were aged between 60 and 79.

Almost three in four of the patients had attended, or had a referral to, a diabetes hospital outpatient clinic within the previous 12 months, while over half had attended, or had a referral to, an ophthalmology clinic.

Five of the patients had been admitted to hospital with a diabetes-related problem in the previous 12 months.

Data on the patients was collected for the 12-month period 2010-2011. Their involvement in a nurse-led clinic was then assessed for the 12-month period 2011-2012.

The clinic recommended reviews every three months and these were usually carried out by the practice nurse. The study found that almost three in four of the patients attended the clinic between one and five times.

"This provides an opportunity for reduction in GP consultations, unless complications or concerns arise, at which time the patient is reviewed by the GP during the same visit.

The study found that overall, patients displayed improvements in areas such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and renal (kidney) function.

The researchers noted that these types of clinics ‘offer focused examination and investigations, with systematic recording and documentation of results and referrals'.

"This provides an accurate, up-to-date measurement of the state of each patient's chronic condition and the opportunity to identify trends," they explained.

Furthermore, patients only have to be referred to hospital for one or two-yearly reviews, or if their condition is poorly controlled and requires specialist intervention.

"Nurse-led clinics benefit the patients, the GP practice and secondary level (hospital) care with improved health outcomes, reduced consultations and reduced costs to the health service," the researchers concluded.

Details of these findings are published in Forum, the Journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners.