Australian Diabetes Society

The Australian Diabetes Society (ADS) is the peak medical and scientific body for diabetes in Australia representing medical and scientific professionals working in diabetes treatment and research. The ADS is a national organisation founded in 1973. It is a membership-based organisation consisting of endocrinologists, physicians, endocrine trainee doctors, scientists/researchers, general practitioners and allied health professionals. It is administered by a National Council elected from the membership who take on this role in an honorary capacity.

 

The ADS works in collaboration with its divisions; the National Association of Diabetes Centres (NADC) and Diabetes Feet Australia (DFA) including its partners, government agencies, Diabetes Australia, RACP, RACGP, ADEA, ESA, APEG, NPS and ADIPS. While the ADS and its partner organisations are committed to improving the lives of people living with diabetes, the ADS differs in its role as it is focussed on serving a membership of healthcare professionals, scientists and researchers, which indirectly results in benefits to people with diabetes. Research underpins the work of the ADS and results in an organisation that is at the forefront of developments in best practice diabetes management.

 

Australian Blood Glucose Treatment Algorithm for Type 2 Diabetes

The blood glucose management algorithm for type 2 diabetes outlines the risks, benefits and costs of available therapies and provides an approach for how to incorporate older and newer agents.

Control of blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes has clear benefits for preventing microvascular complications and potential benefits for reducing macrovascular complications and death.

Treatment needs to be individualised for the person with diabetes. This should start with selection of the appropriate blood glucose and HbA1c targets, taking into account life expectancy and the wishes of the person with diabetes. A range of recently available therapies have added to our range of options for controlling blood glucose levels but this has made the clinical pathway for managing diabetes more complicated.

To assist with clinical decision making, in 2014 the Australian Diabetes Society council appointed an expert working group to draft a position statement with a focus on the results of recent randomised clinical trials. The original statement was reviewed by the ADS council (September 2014) and then sent to all ADS members for comment before publication in the Medical Journal of Australia (December 2014). In light of new randomised clinical trial evidence the statement and algorithm are updated as required.

Australian Obesity Treatment Algorithm

Obesity is a complex and multifactorial chronic disease with genetic, environmental, physiological and behavioural determinants that requires long-term care. Obesity is associated with a broad range of complications including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidaemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, reproductive hormonal abnormalities, sleep apnoea, depression, osteoarthritis and certain cancers.

An algorithm has been developed (with PubMed and Medline searched for all relevant articles from 1 Jan 2000-1 Oct 2021) to (i) assist primary care physicians in treatment decisions for non-pregnant adults with obesity, and (ii) provide a practical clinical tool to guide the implementation of existing guidelines for the treatment of obesity in the Australian primary care setting.