Blood Glucose Monitoring and Its Determinants in Diabetic Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Shandong, China

The status of blood glucose monitoring and its influencing factors in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes initiating premixed insulin: A prospective real-world study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the current state of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in Chinese patients initiating premixed insulin and its influential factors.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This is a single-arm, multi-center, prospective real-world study enrolling a total of 8214 adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) newly initiated premixed insulin analogues. Each patient was followed up for 12 weeks, and the data related to SMBG was collected at week 1, week 4, week 8 and week 12, while data related to glycated hemoglobin were collected at week 1 and week 12. The primary outcome was the frequency of SMBG over 12 weeks.

RESULTS

At week 12, 83.3 % monitored blood glucose at least once, while 20.3 % of participants continued SMBG every week. The average monitoring frequency was 4.78 times/week over the first 4 weeks and 3.33 times/week over 12 weeks. The patients with a higher frequency of SMBG had better control of blood glucose.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that most T2DM patients would take SMBG but the adherence decreased over time. The adherence to SMBG in Chinese T2DM patients was influenced by age, insulin dosage, education level, and diabetes duration. SMBG benefited the improvement of glycemic control.

Financial protection and equity in the healthcare financing system in Iran: a cross-sectional study among slum dwellers with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted to assess financial protection and equity in the healthcare financing system among slum dwellers with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Iran in 2022.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Primary care centres in Iran were selected from slums.

PARTICIPANTS

Our study included 400 participants with T2D using a systematic random sampling method. Patients were included if they lived in slums for at least five consecutive years, were over 18 years old and did not have intellectual disabilities.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY MEASURES

A self-report questionnaire was used to assess cost-coping strategies vis-à-vis T2D expenditures and factors influencing them, as well as forgone care among slum dwellers.

RESULTS

Of the 400 patients who participated, 53.8% were female. Among the participants, 27.8% were illiterate, but 30.3% could read and write. 75.8% had income below 40 million Rial. There was an association between age, education, income, basic insurance, supplemental insurance and cost-coping strategies (p<0.001). 88.2% of those with first university degree used health insurance and 34% of illiterate people used personal savings. 79.8% of people with income over 4 million Rial reported using insurance to cope with healthcare costs while 55% of those with income under 4 million Rial reported using personal savings and a combination of health insurance and personal savings to cope with healthcare costs. As a result of binary logistic regression, illiterate people (adjusted OR=16, 95% CI 3.65 to 70.17), individuals with low income (OR 5.024, 95% CI 2.42 to 10.41) and people without supplemental insurance (OR 1.885, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.37) are more likely to use other forms of cost-coping strategies than health insurance.

CONCLUSIONS

As a result of insufficient use of insurance, cost-coping strategies used by slum dwellers vis-à-vis T2D expenditures do not protect them from financial risks. Expanding universal health coverage and providing supplemental insurance for those with T2D living in slums are recommended. Iran Health Insurance should adequately cover the costs of T2D care for slum dwellers so that they do not need to use alternative strategies.

The Mediation Effect of Attitude on the Association Between Knowledge and Self-Management Behaviors in Chinese Patients With Diabetes

Objective: This study aims to investigate the level of knowledge, attitude and self-management behaviors of diabetic patients, to explore the mediating role of attitude in the relationship between knowledge and self-management behaviors. Methods: 900 diabetes patients were randomly selected from the eastern, central and western regions of Shandong Province, China, and recovered 863 valid questionnaires. Path analysis was used to examine the mediating role of attitude in the relationship between knowledge and self-management behaviors in patients with diabetes. Results: The mean score (SD) of the diabetes self-management questionnaire (DSMQ) in this study was 35.01 (6.87). The direct effect value of knowledge level on self-management behaviors was 0.357, accounting for 62.09% of the total effect. The indirect effect value of knowledge on self-management behaviors through attitude was 0.218, accounting for 37.91%. Conclusion: Level of knowledge has a significant direct impact on self-management behaviors and an indirect impact on self-management behaviors through attitude. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen health education on diabetes to improve awareness, ameliorate attitudes toward diabetes, and change self-management behaviors.

Frequency of Follow-Up Attendance and Blood Glucose Monitoring in Type 2 Diabetic Patients at Moderate to High Cardiovascular Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care

Regular follow-up attendance in primary care and routine blood glucose monitoring are essential in diabetes management, particularly for patients at higher cardiovascular (CV) risk. We sought to examine the regularity of follow-up attendance and blood glucose monitoring in a primary care sample of type 2 diabetic patients at moderate-to-high CV risk, and to explore factors associated with poor engagement. Cross-sectional data were collected from 2130 patients enrolled in a diabetic retinopathy screening programme in Guangdong province, China. Approximately one-third of patients (35.9%) attended clinical follow-up <4 times in the past year. Over half of patients (56.9%) failed to have blood glucose monitored at least once per month. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that rural residents (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.420, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.338-0.522, p < 0.001, for follow-up attendance; aOR = 0.580, 95%CI: 0.472-0.712, p < 0.001, for blood glucose monitoring) and subjects with poor awareness of adverse consequences of diabetes complications (aOR = 0.648, 95%CI = 0.527-0.796, p < 0.001, for follow-up attendance; aOR = 0.770, 95%CI = 0.633-0.937, p = 0.009, for blood glucose monitoring) were both less likely to achieve active engagement. Our results revealed an urban-rural divide in patients' engagement in follow-up attendance and blood glucose monitoring, which suggested the need for different educational approaches tailored to the local context to enhance diabetes care.

Clinical and economic outcomes of continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in patients with diabetes mellitus: A systematic literature review

OBJECTIVE

Poor glycemic management increases the risk of cardiac, microvascular, and other complications. Therefore, timely assessment and control of glycemic levels is paramount in diabetes. Recent advancements in automated management methods is the use of a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). The objective was to study its clinical and economic impact in the glucose level monitoring and how it can be effectively used or reimbursed for wider population.

METHODS

Comprehensive search was done using multiple databases to capture relevant and most recent evidence. All steps were conducted by two independent researchers and discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Quality appraisal was performed by relevant scale depending on study design.

RESULTS

Twenty-six and 12 studies were included for clinical and economic outcomes, respectively. Clinical outcomes like HbA1c and glucose variation, time in range, accuracy, etc. were captured. Comparison of different CGMS types was also reported. Major economic outcomes were direct cost, healthcare resource utilization, and work absenteeism.

CONCLUSIONS

CGMS in patients with diabetes is associated with a valuable clinical implications in reducing hypoglycemic events, glucose and HbA1c level. Additionally, it has an impact on direct and indirect costs of management. Further, quantitative analysis would be required to produce concrete evidence.

Understanding the Profiles of Blood Glucose Monitoring Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study in Shandong, China

BACKGROUND

Blood glucose monitoring is essential in diabetic care and management. Monitoring using glucometers in home and in laboratories by professionals in certain health institutes were the common methods of blood glucose monitoring in clinical practice. This study aimed to characterize the profiles of blood glucose monitoring in the view of the discrepancy in methods and frequency conducted by the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China, and to explore factors influencing the profiles.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted in Shandong province, China, with a multi-stage stratified sampling. A total of 2166 T2DM patients completed the structured questionnaires about the real-world status of blood glucose monitoring and other questions composed of demographic and clinical characteristic as well as the diabetes-related cognitive scales. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify the underlying profiles of blood glucose monitoring based on self-reported frequency of blood glucose monitoring through different methods. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the characteristics of the profiles and to explore the factors associated with it.

RESULTS

Among the 2166 participants, the mean frequency of blood glucose monitoring was 2.77 times (standard deviation: 7.67) per month. LPA indicated that five-class model was the best solution for classifying the latent groups of blood glucose monitoring: Class 1 "Low frequency in all", Class 2 "High frequency in hospitals", Class 3 "High frequency in primary health institutes", Class 4 "High frequency in pharmacies", and Class 5 "High frequency in self-monitoring". The proportions of the patients in class 1, class 2, class 3, class 4, and class 5 were 88.1% (n=1909), 1.3% (n=28), 3.1% (n=67), 6.1% (n=133) and 1.3% (n=29), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression showed that participants who had higher income (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.04~2.41, p<0.05), had diabetes complication(s) (OR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.03~1.02, p=0.03) and had a good knowledge of blood glucose control (OR=1.59, 95% CI: 1.17~2.16, p<0.01) were more likely to have high frequency of blood glucose monitoring (in class 2, 3, 4, 5), and the rural patients were less likely to had high frequency of blood glucose monitoring (OR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.35~0.63, p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Low frequency dominates the characteristics of the profiles of blood glucose monitoring among T2DM patients in China, though distinct blood glucose monitoring groups can be identified by LPA. Educational and financial supports were recommended to increase the frequency of blood glucose monitoring in patients with T2DM, focusing on the patients with low socioeconomic status.

The impact of provision of self-monitoring of blood glucose supplies on self-care activities among patients with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes mellitus: A prospective study

AIMS

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is an important self-care activity for patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to achieve glycaemic control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of providing SMBG supplies on self-care among patients with uncontrolled T2DM.

METHODS

This was a six-month, prospective study conducted in two primary care institutions. Patients ≥21 years old with uncontrolled T2DM (HbA1c > 7.0%) and polypharmacy (≥5 chronic medications) were included. All participants were given a free blood glucometer, test strips, and lancets, and were invited to consult pharmacists to learn about SMBG. The Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities questionnaire was administered at baseline and at six months.

RESULTS

A total of 167 patients were recruited and 150 (89.8%) completed the study. At six months, significant improvements from baseline were observed for overall self-care (+0.58, p = 0.008), glycemic control (-0.41%, p < 0.001) and all specific self-care activities. The mean change in the SMBG score in all the participants was found to have a strong positive correlation with the mean change in the overall self-care score (r_s = 0.580, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Provision of SMBG supplies was effective in improving self-care among patients with uncontrolled T2DM, including non-insulin-treated patients.

Association between Socioeconomic Status, Physical Health and Need for Long-term Care among the Chinese Elderly

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), physical health and the need for long-term care (NLTC) of the Chinese elderly, and further, to provide evidence-based advice for establishing an LTC system in China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shandong Province, China in 2017 by using multi-stage random sampling method. Data were collected from elderly individuals aged 60 years and older by self-designed questionnaires through face-to face interviews. A total of 7070 participants were finally included in the database (40.3% male, 59.7% female). Chi-square test analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted to clarify the association between SES, physical health and NLTC among the Chinese elderly men and women in Shandong Province. The results of the SEM analysis showed that physical health exerted a strong and negative effect on the NLTC for both genders, with a slightly stronger effect found among the elderly men. SES was found to be significantly and negatively related to the NLTC among the elderly women, while no statistical significance was found for the association between SES and NLTC for elderly men. A significant and positive association between SES and physical health was observed among the elderly men and women, with a slightly stronger effect among the elderly women. Implications for lowering the NLTC and developing an LTC system were addressed based on the findings above.

Correlates of Self-Care Behaviors in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Comorbid Heart Failure

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to describe sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial correlates of diabetes self-care behaviors in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and comorbid heart failure (HF).

METHOD

Baseline data of 180 participants from a clinical trial that tested a 6-month integrated self-care intervention for persons with comorbid HF and T2D were analyzed. Correlational bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine correlates of diabetes self-care behaviors.

RESULT

Participants had a mean age of 58 ± 11years; the majority were male (n = 118, 66%) and African American (n = 119, 66%). Number of comorbidities >2 (P < .001), having more than a high school education (P < .05), and African American ethnicity (P < .05) predicted better exercise, self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG), and foot care behaviors, respectively. The use of an aldosterone inhibitor (P < .05) predicted worse exercise performance, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (P < .01) predicted worse SMBG, and treatment with diet plus medication (P < .05) and dyslipidemia (P < .001) predicted worse foot care.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this study provide new insights into the complex self-care requirements for T2D patients with comorbid HF. Integrated self-care interventions are clearly warranted in persons living with multiple chronic conditions for optimal health outcomes and the prevention of complications. Our sample of predominately African American men showed they had better T2D self-care behaviors than whites than previously reported. Additional research is needed to determine racial and gender differences on health outcomes in persons with T2D and comorbid HF.