Canada could do a better job of preventing, finding and managing cases of diabetes, which is on the rise in the country, according to a new report released on Monday.

The Health Council of Canada's inaugural report on health outcomes recommends ways of managing chronic diseases, using Type 2 diabetes as its focus. 

In the future, countries with the best health will be those that do the best job of preventing diabetes, says Dr. Doug Manuel.
(CBC)

"The way we provide health care today leaves too many people vulnerable to serious health problems that could be avoided," said Dr. Ian Bowmer, vice-chair of the council.

"If we don't support prevention and change the way we deliver care for chronic health conditions, we are not optimizing care and are putting the quality of life of Canadians at risk."

Fewer than half of people with diabetes get the tests and procedures that experts recommend to prevent serious long-term complications, such as blindness, kidney damage and amputations, the report's authors said.

Adopt team approach to care

The first recommendation in their 70-page report is to expand the delivery of care for people diagnosed with chronic health problems to include teams of nurses, pharmacists and nutritionists. These and other health-care professionals can help people with diabetes improve their blood sugar levels, alongside the family doctor.

"Few Canadians have routine access to teams of health-care professionals where they receive health care," said the report, which also suggested converting medical records in offices into electronic charts to reduce the risk of complications.

Canada has pockets where the team approach to care delivery is used, but the idea is being adopted slowly, said Dr. Doug Manuel, a senior scientist at Toronto's Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, who peer-reviewed the report.

It is also important to identify high-risk communities in Canada, such as First Nations, Southeast Asians and low-income Canadians, the report said. The two ethnic groups share a genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes, as well as cultural factors such as diet and lifestyle that may increase their risk.

Targeting high-risk groups

Obesity is the main risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, in which weight gain, poor nutrition and lack of exercise reduce the body's ability to use insulin to control levels of sugar.

The Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Program and a Latin American diabetes program in London, Ont., were cited of programs that successfully identified and targeted high-risk groups.

In the future, countries whose citizens have the best health will be the ones that best prevent diabetes, and Canada could be that country, Manuel said.

To get there, Canada could follow leaders such as Finland, which helps communities to support diabetes prevention, identifies people at high risk and tries to get them to make intensive lifestyle changes.

"Finland has a program which is organized throughout the whole country, delivered at local areas," Manuel told CBC Newsworld. "Very easy to follow so that the local practitioners, local physicians know exactly what to do. Very well thought out, very clear."

Last week, a study published in the journal The Lancet concluded that the percentage of people with diabetes in Ontario — and likely the rest of Canada — has grown so rapidly it's already higher than what the World Health Organization expected to see globally by 2030.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body makes little or no insulin and is normally treated through insulin injections.

Looking beyond diabetes, the council is inviting Canadians to be participate in an online consultation on health-care priorities. The consultation will continue until April 15.