The Diabetes Compass offers digital support to health care professionals and people with diabetes to improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

Today, technology is a driving force for change in healthcare.

Many healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are overburdened, with healthcare professionals (HCPs) self-reporting a lack of skills and resources to prevent, diagnose and treat diabetes. To address these challenges, the World Diabetes Foundation launched the Diabetes Compass in April 2021 with a commitment to launch digital solutions in selected countries by the end of 2024.

WHAT IS THE DIABETES COMPASS?

The Diabetes Compass is a commitment to improve the quality of diabetes care in primary care settings. The Diabetes Compass leverages digital solutions to reduce vulnerabilities in the diabetes care pathway and improve outcomes for people living with diabetes and hypertension.

WHY THE DIABETES COMPASS?

Diabetes is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Many health systems are strengthening their national NCD responses, and the Diabetes Compass aims to complement these efforts by leverage innovative digital health solutions at community and facility levels.

HOW DOES THE DIABETES COMPASS WORK?

Using a collaborative model in which global and local partners co-create solutions, the Diabetes Compass aims to do three things:

  1. Strengthen NCD health information systems to improve care delivery, quality management, and policy and planning
  2. Strengthen the Diabetes Care Pathway by improving early detection and timely diagnosis of diabetes and hypertension
  3. Build diabetes-related clinical capability among medical officers, nurses, and community health workers at the level of primary care

PARTNERSHIPS

The Diabetes Compass is comprised of a growing group of active and committed global and country partners that work closely to realise the initiative’s objectives for improved diabetes care in the launch countries and beyond.

Collage of documenting meetings and fieldwork related to Diabetes Compass

Global partners

Besides the country partners, The Diabetes Compass is also shaped by a network of global partners that bring specialised competencies within diabetes care, digital solutions, and research.

Currently, the five global partners are: 

Dalberg - Mission-driven consultancy; Manyone - Strategy-design hybrid; STENO - Centre of excellence for diabetes; benshi.ai - Non-profit using behavioural machine learning; RTI International - international research institute

Country partners

Country partners are crucial for co-creating and driving the implementation of the digital health solutions, responding to local needs in diabetes care.

The first official launch countries for the Diabetes Compass are Sri Lanka and Tanzania, where the initiative has onboarded country lead partners to drive the implementation of the solution. The lead country partners will work closely with national authorities, diabetes organisations, and knowledge institutions to ensure that the solution addresses unmet needs on the ground and is aligned with existing priorities and initiatives.

Our country partners are: