QIM 1: Proportion of regular clients with diabetes with an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months
On this page:
Overview
Patients with Type 1 and 2 diabetes should be screened and managed according to the Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice (RACGP 2024b). Early identification and optimal management can reduce the impact of diabetes and improve health outcomes (RACGP 2024c).
Capture of results recorded outside of the general practice setting
Some patients may receive care from other practitioners in addition to a GP, including an endocrinologist, specialist physician, and/or other health care providers to safely manage their diabetes (RACGP 2024c). Results arising from clinical intervention conducted outside of the service that are known and recorded by the practice are included in the measure.
However, sometimes an HbA1c result recorded elsewhere is not captured in the report. For example, this might be a result from a specialist service that is not recorded in the clinical information system (CIS) of the client’s usual general practice due to incompatible CISs between a practice and a specialist service.
Other sources of relevant data
Data on the prevalence of long-term health conditions like diabetes are captured in the National Health Survey (NHS) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). There are other administrative data collections where the data from these client-provider interactions are captured, for example, Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), the National Diabetes Service Scheme (NDSS) register and the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Groups (APEG) state and territory registers.
This indicator reports on the proportion of regular clients of all ages who had a recorded diagnosis of Type 1, Type 2 or undefined diabetes, and who had an HbA1c result recorded within the previous 12 months in their GP record.
The QIM proportions summarised by the different extraction tools in use are also shown in the ‘Regional proportions’ bar charts for this measure. This illustrates the differences in how software providers have interpreted the technical specifications and coding of QIMs.
QIM 1: Regional proportions
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune disease that usually has its onset in childhood or early adolescence. The exact cause is unknown, but it is believed to be the result of an interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The management of an individual with Type 1 diabetes requires a multidisciplinary healthcare network delivering integrated clinical care, using a complex array of health care tools (APEG and ADS 2011). A person with Type 1 diabetes requires daily insulin replacement to survive, except in cases where a pancreatic or islet cell transplant occurs. Between 2000 and 2021, there were around 58,000 new diagnoses of type 1 diabetes across all ages, which equates to around 2,700 diagnoses a year. In children and young adults (aged 0–19), around 13,200 were reported to have Type 1 diabetes in 2021. This equates to 211 per 100,000 population, with a similar rate between females and males (AIHW 2024f).
As of July 2025, nationally, 57.3% of regular clients of all ages who had a recorded diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes had an HbA1c result recorded within the previous 12 months in their GP record. This varied from 32.1% to 70.8% across PHNs, and between 49.5% and 66.3% across extraction tools.
Figure 6: Proportion of regular clients with a record diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, by PHN, or by ET (extraction tool), July 2025
This bar chart shows the proportion of regular clients with a recorded diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record, by PHN and extraction tool for July 2025.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic and progressive medical condition that results from 2 major metabolic dysfunctions: insulin resistance followed by pancreatic islet cell dysfunction, causing a relative insulin deficiency. These metabolic dysfunctions occur due to modifiable lifestyle-related risk factors interacting with non-modifiable and genetic risk factors. The relative insulin deficiency leads to chronic hyperglycaemia and multiple disturbances in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism (RACGP 2024c). Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, generally having a later onset than Type 1 diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes produce insulin, but do not produce enough, and/or cannot use it effectively. It involves a genetic component, but is largely preventable and is often associated with lifestyle factors including physical inactivity, poor diet, being overweight or obese, and tobacco smoking. Type 2 diabetes can be managed with changes to diet and exercise, oral glucose-lowering medications, non-insulin injectable glucose-lowering medications, insulin injections or a combination of these methods (RACGP 2024c). Although it has typically been considered a disease of older people, reports show that it is being diagnosed at younger ages than in the past (AIHW 2014). In 2021, almost 1.2 million (4.6%) Australians had Type 2 diabetes (AIHW 2024f).
As of July 2025, nationally, 72.1% of regular clients of all ages who had a recorded diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes had an HbA1c result recorded within the previous 12 months in their GP record. This varied from 56.6% to 82.4% across PHNs, and between 66.5% and 76.6% across extraction tools.
Figure 7: Proportion of regular clients with a recorded diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, by PHN, or by ET (extraction tool), July 2025
This bar chart shows the proportion of regular clients with a recorded diagnosis of undefined diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record, by PHN for July 2025.
Undefined diabetes
As of July 2025, nationally, 65.7% of regular clients of all ages who had undefined diabetes recorded had an HbA1c result recorded within the previous 12 months in their GP record. This varied from 42.3% to 75.6% across PHNs, and between 61.5% and 72.1% across extraction tools.
Figure 8: Proportion of regular clients with undefined diabetes recorded and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, by PHN, or by ET (extraction tool), July 2025
This line chart shows the proportion of regular clients with a recorded diagnosis of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2 and undefined) and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record, from July 2024 to July 2025.
QIM 1: National proportions over time
Nationally, between July 2024 and July 2025, the proportion of regular clients of all ages who had an HbA1c result recorded within the previous 12 months in their GP record with:
- Type 1 diabetes remained constant at 56.9% and 57.3%, respectively
- Type 2 diabetes remained constant at 71.8% and 72.1%, respectively
- Undefined diabetes remained constant at 65.4% and 65.7%, respectively.
Figure 9: Proportion of regular clients with a recorded diagnosis of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2 and undefined) and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, July 2024 to July 2025
This chart shows the proportion of regular clients with Type 1 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record, from July 2024 to July 2025.
=QIM1+-+DIABETES+TYPE)
QIM 1: National proportions by age and sex
Type 1 diabetes
As of July 2025, nationally, the proportion of regular clients of all ages who had Type 1 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded within the previous 12 months in their GP record increased with age and was:
- highest in the 65 years and over age group for both women (72.5%) and men (71.6%)
- lowest in the 0–14 years age group for both women (20.1%) and men (19.0%).
Figure 10: Proportion of regular clients with Type 1 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, by age and sex, July 2025
This bar chart shows the proportion of regular clients with Type 2 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record, by age and sex for July 2025.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes has typically been considered a disease of older people, but reports show that it is being diagnosed at younger age groups than in the past. Type 2 diabetes in very young children is extremely rare and data from both overseas and Australia suggests that it is unlikely to occur among those under the age of 4 and is generally rare under the age of 10 (AIHW 2014). Diagnosing and managing Type 2 diabetes in the paediatric and adolescent population pose challenges due to the confluence of physiological insulin resistance associated with puberty and the presentation of Type 2 diabetes. In Australia, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in individuals under 17 years of age was about two per 100,000 person-years, with a 27% average annual adjusted overall incidence increase between 1990 and 2002 (RACGP 2016). These caveats should be considered when interpreting figures showing the proportion of regular clients aged 0–14 years with type 2 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded.
As of July 2025, nationally, the proportion of regular clients of all ages who had Type 2 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months also increased with age and was:
- highest in the 65 years and over age group for both women (73.4%) and men (74.8%)
- lowest in the 0–14 years age group for both women (26.0%) and men (29.6%).
Figure 11: Proportion of regular clients with Type 2 diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, by age and sex, July 2025
This bar chart shows the proportion of regular clients with undefined diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record, by age and sex for July 2025.
Undefined diabetes
As of July 2025, nationally, the proportion of regular clients of all ages who had undefined diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record also increased with age and was:
- highest in the 65 years and over age group for both women (67.7%) and men (68.7%)
- lowest in the 0–14 years age group for both women (17.6%) and men (13.2%).
Figure 12: Proportion of regular clients with undefined diabetes and an HbA1c result recorded in their GP record within the previous 12 months, by age and sex, July 2025
This bar chart shows the proportion of regular clients aged 15 years and over with a smoking status recorded in their GP record, by PHN for July 2025.
- Clients are classified as having diabetes for this measure, if they have Type 1 or Type 2 or undefined diabetes as a diagnosis in their GP record.
- Clinical definitions for diabetes vary across CISs, as different coding schemes are used. This may lead to some variation in the number of clients who will be picked up by different systems (AIHW 2025a).
- Any clients who had gestational diabetes but also have Type 1 or 2 diabetes are included in the measure.
- Multidisciplinary care delivered by multiple providers are often required to safely manage patients with diabetes and its complications. For example, younger patients and patients with Type 1 diabetes are more likely to receive shared care from specialist services. Missing information on HbA1c for these patients could relate to the information not being shared electronically between the specialist services and general practices.
- Results arising from measurements conducted outside of the service that are known and recorded in the GP record are included.
- Clients are excluded from the measure if they:
- had secondary diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), previous GDM, impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance,
- had results from measurements conducted outside of the service which were not available to the service and had not visited the service in the previous 12 months.
- There are other administrative data collections where the data from these client-provider interactions are captured, for example, Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), the National Diabetes Service Scheme (NDSS) register, the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Groups (APEG) state and territory registers.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2014) Type 2 diabetes in Australia’s children and young people: a working paper, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 4 September 2025.
AIHW (2024f) Diabetes: Australian facts, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 4 September 2025.
AIHW (2025a) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific primary health care: results from the OSR and nKPI collections, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 4 September 2025.
APEG and ADS (2011) National Evidence-Based Clinical Care Guidelines for Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Adults, Department of Health, Australian Government, accessed 4 September 2025.
RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) (2016) Type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents, RACGP, East Melbourne, Victoria, accessed 4 September 2025.
RACGP (2024b) Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice - 10th Edition, RACGP, East Melbourne, Victoria, accessed 5 September 2025.
RACGP (2024c) Management of type 2 diabetes: A handbook for general practice, RACGP, East Melbourne, Victoria, accessed 5 September 2025.