Clinical guidelines and Position Statements

Guidelines are an essential component of achieving quality care for all people with diabetes. Guideline recommendations define standards for care, and use evidence-based interventions to achieve those standards, in order to guide health professionals, people affected by diabetes, policy-makers and administrators.

IDF guidelines and position statements have been prepared to assist countries, organisations and individuals who wish to develop their own national and regional guidelines, and draw on the experience of experts from each of the IDF regions.

The full texts of these documents are available at www.idf.org

Clinical Guidelines

Clinical Practice Guidelines

The Guide for Guidelines has been written for all those involved in the care of people with diabetes; for those about to prepare guidelines to assist in the delivery of diabetes care; and for those who wish to draw on the experience of others in developing such guidelines.

Management of Post-meal Glucose

The purpose of the IDF Guideline for Management of Post-meal Glucose is to present data from reports that describe the relationship between post-meal glucose and the development of diabetes complications. Based on these data, recommendations for the appropriate management of post-meal glucose in type 1 and type 2 diabetes have been developed.

Oral Health for People with Diabetes

The International Diabetes Federation and the World Dental Federation came together to address whether the evidence base in this area allowed formal recommendations on oral health and diabetes care to be made. The result of the collaboration between the two organisations is the IDF Guideline on Oral Health for People with Diabetes.

Pregnancy and Diabetes

This guideline deals with the means of identifying women for whom such problems are new, and helping them, as well as women already known to have diabetes, to achieve the desired outcome of a healthy mother and baby.

Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose in Non-insulin Treated Type 2 Diabetes

The IDF Guideline on Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose in Non-Insulin Treated Type 2 Diabetes presents a summary of the findings and recommendations related to the use of self-monitoring of blood glucose in non-insulin treated people with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes

Global Guideline for Type 2 Diabetes takes into account 19 specific healthcare domains and includes topics of importance and controversy. It takes a stepped approach focusing on levels three levels of care: standard care, minimal care, and comprehensive care. These can be scaled and adapted to fit the needs of different resources in different settings.

Position and Consensus Statements

Animal, Human and Analogue Insulins

Insulins are now available in different molecular forms, some because of species differences and some by design through molecular engineering. There is no overwhelming evidence to prefer one species of insulin over another and patients should not be changed from one species of insulin to another without reason.

Bariatric Surgery

The International Diabetes Federation has released its Position Statement on Bariatric Surgery. The paper calls for bariatric surgery to be considered earlier in the treatment of eligible patients, to help stem the serious complications that can result from diabetes.

Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

People with diabetes are two to six times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes. IDF recognises the magnitude of this problem and strongly encourages all possible collaborative measures aimed at controlling the problem.

Diabetes and Kidney Disease

Kidney disease caused by diabetes is the commonest cause worldwide of kidney failure requiring treatment by dialysis or kidney transplantation. Early kidney damage can be detected by simple urine testing. The risk of kidney failure, and the rate at which it develops, can be reduced by good blood glucose and blood pressure control.

Diabetes and Obesity

Obesity and diabetes currently threaten the health, well-being and economic welfare of virtually every country in the world. IDF encourages those with responsibility for the provision of healthcare services to guarantee that all steps are taken to ensure that preventive measures are met.

Diabetes and Smoking

Tobacco is harmful to health and is of particular danger to people with diabetes. Smoking cessation has immediate positive effects, however it is made difficult by tobacco dependence and by all forms of advertising and promotion used by the tobacco industry.

Diabetes Self-Management Education

IDF believes that diabetes self-management education is a critically important, fundamental and integral component of diabetes prevention and care and should be available and accessible to everyone.

Integrated Prevention of NCDs

Statement made jointly by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the World Heart Federation (WHF), the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) and the International Pediatric Association (IPA).

The Diabetic Foot: Amputations are Preventable

People with diabetes are at risk of neuropathy and problems with ischaemia, both of which can lead to foot ulcers and slow-healing wounds which, if they get infected, may result in amputation. IDF recommends that every individual with diabetes receive the best possible foot care.

The Rights of the Child with Diabetes in the School

IDF is concerned about the situation of children with diabetes, especially in their school environment. IDF holds the position that children and adolescents must be able to manage their diabetes in the school setting without being excluded or discriminated.

The Role of Urine Glucose Monitoring in Diabetes

Blood glucose self-monitoring and urine glucose self-monitoring are the two primary methods used to monitor glucose levels. Urine glucose monitoring is not a substitute for blood glucose monitoring, but rather an alternative or complement which can provide very valuable information where blood glucose monitoring is not accessible, affordable, or desired.

Type 2 Diabetes in Young People

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is growing worldwide, and mirrors the increase of the condition in adults. IDF recommends that provisions be made to deliver the best possible care, prevent long-term complications, and promote further research.

Consensus on Type 2 Diabetes Prevention

Early intervention and the avoidance or delay of progression to type 2 diabetes is of enormous benefit to patients in terms of increasing life expectancy and quality of life, and potentially in economic terms for society and healthcare payers.

Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome

This provides physicians with the tools to quickly identify those at risk and to compare the impact across nations and ethnic groups. The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: diabetes and prediabetes, abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

HbA1c Working Group

The measurement of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is central to diabetes care. This is a measure by which healthcare providers can relate blood glucose control to the risk of complications, such as eye damage or kidney failure. The working group was established to develop a standard and harmonise HbA1c reporting.

Sleep Apnoea and Type 2 Diabetes

Recent research demonstrates the likelihood of a relationship between type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The IDF consensus statement on sleep apnoea and type 2 diabetes raises awareness of the association between the two conditions, which have significant implications on public health and on the lives of individuals.