The DMP atlas for North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: results of the disease management programmes on district level

Disease Management Programmes (DMP) in Germany were initiated to enhance the quality of ambulatory health care for specific chronic diseases. They aim to prevent the progression of the disease and comorbidity as well as to improve quality of life. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the contents of the web-based DMP atlas for North Rhine-Westphalia. The atlas provides a comprehensive overview of the regional DMP results, including outcomes at district level. In 2024, these analyses encompassed data of approximately 1.8 million patients. Quality of care is displayed by quality indicators for type 2 and type 1 diabetes, coronary heart disease, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, breast cancer and osteoporosis. Outcomes are displayed at district level and can be stratified by age, sex, GPs' or specialists' care within the DMPs, the documentation of selected comorbid conditions and DMP participation period. Furthermore, information on comorbidity, health parameters, risk factors and medication are displayed. Again, these can be stratified by age and sex. The DMP atlas allows to identify areas with lower quality of care and subgroups of particularly vulnerable patients. Consequently, it can be seen as a contribution to the further development and specification of DMPs and ambulatory health care in Germany.