Design of cost-effective packages of care for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Defining the information needs.

This review concludes that: a) the global burden of disease from non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) cannot be completely estimated at present; b) evidence for the efficacy of key elements of a package of care is still needed; c) generalizing the results of evaluations of costs or effectiveness across different populations is not straightforward; and d) for this complex intervention, the costs and effectiveness of intervention may be highly dependent on methods of organizing care. Addressing this information deficit represents an important task for researchers and health decision makers.