BACKGROUND: The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Program is a web-based 
program incorporating a comprehensive risk engine, care protocols, and clinical 
decision support to improve ambulatory diabetes care.
METHODS: The JADE Program uses information technology to facilitate healthcare 
professionals to create a diabetes registry and to deliver an evidence-based 
care and education protocol tailored to patients' risk profiles. With written 
informed consent from participating patients and care providers, all data are 
anonymized and stored in a databank to establish an Asian Diabetes Database for 
research and publication purpose.
RESULTS: The JADE electronic portal (e-portal: http://www.jade-adf.org) is 
implemented as a Java application using the Apache web server, the mySQL 
database and the Cocoon framework. The JADE e-portal comprises a risk engine 
which predicts 5-year probability of major clinical events based on parameters 
collected during an annual comprehensive assessment. Based on this risk 
stratification, the JADE e-portal recommends a care protocol tailored to these 
risk levels with decision support triggered by various risk factors. Apart from 
establishing a registry for quality assurance and data tracking, the JADE 
e-portal also displays trends of risk factor control at each visit to promote 
doctor-patient dialogues and to empower both parties to make informed decisions.
CONCLUSIONS: The JADE Program is a prototype using information technology to 
facilitate implementation of a comprehensive care model, as recommended by the 
International Diabetes Federation. It also enables health care teams to record, 
manage, track and analyze the clinical course and outcomes of people with 
diabetes.