Optimizing Outcomes in Children and Young People with Diabetes
SWEET is a growing global network of certified diabetes centers aiming to improve quality of and reduce inequalities in pediatric and adolescent diabetes care, enabling improved outcomes in children and young people with diabetes. The SWEET network works on the basis of agreed standards of care, criteria for certification, international guidelines, benchmarking and quality control.
SWEET was initiated in 2008 as a project funded by the EU Public Health Program. Since 2011, SWEET has been functioning as an independent legal entity and has developed into a global initiative.
SWEET Membership and Certification
Diabetes centers can apply for SWEET membership and certification. A set of requirements and criteria have been defined which determine the membership category and certification: Centre of Reference, Collaborative Centre or Associated Centre. SWEET started with 12 centers in Europe in 2008 and currently includes 136 centers from 59 countries from all continents. SWEET also includes corporate members and is grateful for the ongoing support they provide.
Benchmarking
Sharing data, comparing data and outcomes in a non-competitive manner, results in learning from and with others. SWEET members receive two benchmarking reports per year, which offers the opportunity to correct data, but also allows members to follow the ‘circle of benchmarking’.
Multi-center Outcome Research
SWEET has published a range of articles in peer reviewed international journals and SWEET members have presented results of the benchmarking and research at several national and international conferences. With the increasing amount of data from centers across the world, research will continue to be a key priority for SWEET.
The SWEET Peer Review Program
SWEET certification and quality control are enabled by the SWEET Peer Review Program: healthcare teams and services of applying centers are reviewed by a Peer Review team in order to determine compliance with the SWEET criteria and to assess quality of care and treatment in relation to clinical outcomes and patient experience.
The Peer Review visits are intended to be developmental, an opportunity to share learnings and good practices between the reviewers and the team of the center, that even may come from different professions. Moreover it is a chance to suggest and discuss areas for further development or change.
Important outcomes of the SWEET Peer Review Program include: confirmation of the quality of pediatric diabetes services and speedy identification of shortcomings in quality, so that appropriate action can be taken.