The first Diabetes Surgery Summit was held in Rome, Italy in March 2007 with the participation of leading scholars in the filds of diabetes, surgery, basic science and public health.
The DSS was the first conference specifially aimed at establishing recommendations regarding gastrointestinal operations to intentionally treat T2DM and it is widely recognized as a seminal event for the development of the concept and practice of metabolic and diabetes surgery.
Given the substantial body of evidence now available, the overarching aim of the 2nd Diabetes Surgery Summit, (DSS-II) is to assist leading diabetes organizations in the development of new guidelines for multimodality diabetes care. The new guidelines are intended to guide endocrinologists, primary care physicians and surgeons in the selection of candidates for surgical treatment and in the development of a diabetes-based model for pre- and postoperative care. A specific subject of the DSS-II will be the development of a rational approach to the integration of pharmaceutical and surgical therapies to improve outcomes. DSS-II will also craft an agenda of research priorities and health policy initiatives aimed at improving access to surgical and interventional therapies.
Prior to the event, leading diabetes experts will draft evidence-based proposals for guidelines. These proposals and their supporting evidence will be presented during dedicated sessions of the world congress for further debate and input by both invited experts and general attendees. Voting delegates will establish final guidelines/recommendations through a final vote on the last day of the conference.
The consensus development process of the DSS-II includes two phases:
1. In the first phase, prior to the meeting in London, DSS delegates were asked to grade their support for a number of proposed guidelines via online questionnaires and interviews (Delphi-like process). To that end, the experts were provided with a summary of clinical evidence obtained through a systematic review and appraisal conducted by two independent moderators. This process generated a draft document with proposed guidelines and recommendations.
2. In the second phase of the DSS, proposed guidelines and their supporting evidence will be presented during dedicated plenary sessions at the 3rd World Congress on Interventional Therapies of Type 2 Diabetes (September 30, 2015; 8:00 AM) where they will be critically discussed by other thought leaders in the field and open to input by the audience at large. The DSS expert panel will convene for a final a face-to- face meeting (not open to the general audience) on Wednesday 30, (3:00-5:00PM) to define the final consensus document, which is designed to inform general practitioners, physicians, surgeons and policy makers.
