Assessing the Need for Diabetes Control Service in Australia

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Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation
Needs Assessment

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Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 2
Impact of Diabetes................................................................................................................... 2
Initiatives implemented by the government............................................................................3
Assessing the need for diabetes control service......................................................................4
SWOT Analysis..........................................................................................................................4
Need Assessment Approach.....................................................................................................5
Needs Assessment: Goals, strategies and indicators................................................................6
Conclusion................................................................................................................................ 7
References................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Diabetes mellitus or otherwise known as diabetes is acknowledged as a national
health priority in Australia. It is referred as an epidemic of the 21st century and one of the
biggest challenges which are faced by Australia’s healthcare system. There are over 1.7
million people in Australia who have diabetes which include all types of diagnosed diabetes
(Diabetes Australia, 2018). This is serious health issue in Australia, and the government
continuously focuses on addressing this issue by implementing different healthcare policies.
In Australia, diabetes is the fastest growing condition which is increasing faster than
compared to other chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease (Dixon et al., 2014). In
this report, the need assessment of diabetes control service will be evaluated along with
challenges faced by caregivers. This report will evaluate the impact of diabetes along with
various initiatives started by the government of Australia in order to address this issue. The
challenges faced by caregivers of diabetes will be evaluated along with SWOT analysis of the
issue. Various program priorities will be identified in the report which can be provided at
grass root level via state/local councils.
Impact of Diabetes
Diabetes is referred to a chronic illness which is characterised based on the high
levels of glucose in the blood. In order to work properly, human bodies require converting
glucose (sugar) from food into energy (American Diabetes Association, 2015). Insulin is the
key hormone which assists in converting glucose in the body into energy. People who have
diabetes did not produce insulin or did not produce sufficient amount of insulin in the body.
In case of Australia, diabetes is one of the biggest challenges which are faced by the
healthcare system. The main issue with this disease is the rate at which it is increasing in
Australia. 280 people in Australia develop diabetes every day which means that one person
in every five minutes develops the disease of diabetes (Diabetes Australia, 2018). There are
over 1.7 million Australian who is currently suffering from this chronic disease. Around 1.2
million are known and registered which include all types of diagnosed diabetes as well as
silent.