The role of e-Health in the management of patients with diabetes is becoming all pervasive and is often taken for granted as it has become part of every day care.  E-mails with blood glucose levels from patients, sms messages from colleagues etc are part of the everyday management process.  Reports from pathology companies are preferentially managed electronically and are available through web-interfaces if not delivered to directly to a physician’s desk-top patient management program.  An Endocrinologist has even written such a program.  The analysis of blood glucose records, the assessment of pump therapy is all performed using e-health.  Even blood glucose meters are providing decision support tools. A major role for e-Health is tele-health which has an important role for patients with diabetes.  This is a ready solution for patients who live in the country and have to deal with the tyranny of distance. Our unit has been conducting tele-health services to regional centres throughout central Queensland for over 5 years and have greatly improved the access of patients to specialist services in those communities.  A particularly important role has been the care of patients with diabetes during pregnancy.

The great hope for the improvement of coordinated care of patients with diabetes has been the development of a shared electronic health record.  Despite the launch this year in July, a succession of bureaucratic blunders, poor decision making, squandering of public money and general incompetence has derailed this important project.  The development of this program in Australia will be briefly discussed.