Potential Overtreatment and Undertreatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Systematic Review

Excessive Burden of Hyperglycemia Along With Hypoglycemia in Long-Term Care Facilities Identified by Continuous Glucose Monitoring

OBJECTIVES

Recommendations for diabetes care in long-term care facilities (LTC) focus on the avoidance of hypoglycemia and symptomatic hyperglycemia. Using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), we evaluated the current state of glycemia in LTC residents with multiple comorbidities.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional prospective observational study.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

Participants with diabetes on 1 or more glucose-lowering medications residing in 1 of 8 LTC facilities in Ohio and Michigan.

METHODS

A masked Dexcom G6 pro CGM was placed for 10 days on LTC residents. Clinical and demographic information was collected from medical records.

RESULTS

Sixty-five residents [median age 68 years (range 44-84 years), 51% female, 100% with type 2 diabetes] completed the study. Overall, 68% of the cohort used insulin and 64% were on non-insulin agents (11% on sulfonylurea). The mean A1c of the cohort was 7.2% ± 1.5%. CGM data showed 26% of the cohort with ≥1% time spent in hypoglycemia (time <70 mg/dL). A larger burden of severe hyperglycemia (sensor glucose >250 mg/dL) was seen, with 52% of the cohort spending >10% time, 37% spending >25%, and 18% spending >50% time in severe hyperglycemia. The cohort had a median of 13 comorbid conditions, taking 19 medications daily, with 86% having functional disabilities and 63% reporting a recent fall. Fifty-four percent of the cohort had a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2 and 22% had a BMI >40 kg/m2.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

In this multimorbid cohort of residents with diabetes living in LTC facilities, we identified a high burden of both hypoglycemia and severe hyperglycemia, despite optimal control of A1c. More consistent use of CGM may help to identify glycemic excursions and actionable glucose patterns to improve therapeutic decision-making by clinicians.

Prevalence and characteristics of older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus living in French Caribbean nursing homes: results from the baseline KASEHPAD study

BACKGROUND

The management of older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not been previously assessed in nursing homes within the Caribbean region.

AIMS

To investigate the prevalence of T2DM among residents of French Caribbean nursing homes and to characterize their health and functional status.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study is based on baseline screening data from the KASEHPAD (Karukera Study of Ageing in Nursing Homes) cohort. Clinical characteristics and standard geriatric parameters were systematically collected and analyzed. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels of older adults with diabetes were retrospectively extracted from patient records.

RESULTS

A total of 332 participants aged 60 years or older were recruited from six nursing homes between September 2020 and November 2022. The prevalence of T2DM among residents was 28.3% (95% CI: 23.5-33.2). Among older adults with T2DM, 85.1% had hypertension, 17.1% had heart failure, and 24.1% had a history of stroke. The mean HbA1c level was 7.32 ± 1.5%. Of the 35 individuals (42.7%) with HbA1c < 7%, 19 (54.3%) were receiving antidiabetic medications. Multivariate analysis identified HbA1c as the sole factor significantly associated with antidiabetic medication use (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12-3.04).

DISCUSSION

Older adults with T2DM residing in French Caribbean nursing homes exhibit a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and are at risk of overtreatment. The management of T2DM in this population appears to be driven primarily by blood glucose levels.

CONCLUSION

As the prevalence of older adults with T2DM is expected to rise in the Caribbean region, this trend will present significant challenges in delivering tailored care within future nursing home settings.

Pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial of a Hospital-Community-Home Tiered Transitional Care (HCH-TTC) programme for individuals with type 2 diabetes: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and its complications significantly increase the risk of premature mortality and disability among patients, placing a considerable burden on socioeconomic development. Evidence has shows that effective transitional care can improve health outcomes for patients with T2DM. However, T2DM transitional care faces challenges including service discontinuity, communication breakdowns and a lack of personalised design, leading to potential issues of undertreatment and overtreatment, increasing the risk of improper blood sugar management. To address these challenges, our research team developed the Hospital-Community-Home Tiered Transitional Care (HCH-TTC) programme for patients with T2DM, aiming to evaluate its effectiveness and feasibility through a randomised controlled trial (RCT).

METHOD AND ANALYSIS

The multicentre, pragmatic, double-blind RCT will enrol 180 patients with T2DM from the Jinqiao Medical Union in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group will participate in a 6-month HCH-TTC programme, which provides personalised transitional care strategies tailored to patients' evolving health conditions and nursing needs. This tiered management approach includes follow-up, health education, personalised guidance and health monitoring, with variations in intensity, frequency and type based on individual requirements. The control group will receive Hospital-Community-Home Routine Transitional Care programme, consisting of routine follow-up, health education and health monitoring during the same period. Data collection will be conducted at baseline, 1 month postintervention, 3 months and 6 months. The primary outcomes are glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Secondary outcomes include fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2hPPG), diabetes knowledge level, diabetes self-management ability, diabetes treatment adherence, nursing service satisfaction, diabetes complications rate and unplanned readmission rate. Statistical analysis will employ independent sample t-tests and repeated measures analysis of variance.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The Gongli Hospital Ethics Committee (GLYY1s2021-010) approved the study. Results will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200063322.

Generating and translating evidence for safe and effective medication management in aged care homes

Generating and translating high-quality evidence is integral to providing safe and effective medication management for residents of aged care homes. Residents are often under-represented in trials of medication effectiveness and safety. This paper reviews opportunities and challenges for generating and translating evidence for safe and effective medication management in aged care homes. There are an increasing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) being conducted in aged care homes. Observational studies can also help address the evidence-practice gap arising from underrepresentation of residents in RCTs. Stepped-wedge and helix counterbalanced designs may help overcome limitations of traditional RCTs for evaluating medication management interventions in the aged care setting. Strategies for generating evidence include building effective partnerships with aged care homes and organizations, using novel trial designs, leveraging existing data and knowledge sharing through international platforms. Strategies for translating evidence include using quality indicators for audit and feedback, provision of education and training, engaging internal and external stakeholders, and development of local action plans and guideline implementation tools. There is an emerging interest in the role of knowledge brokers to facilitate knowledge translation. Future directions for generating and translating evidence include strengthening international research collaboration, industry partnerships, standardizing aged care home data to support national and international comparisons, and optimizing the use of technology. Initiatives may include improving access to routinely collected administrative health and medication data for conducting high-quality observational studies. Future studies should assess outcomes prioritized by residents to ensure that medication management strategies are tailored to their needs.

The Challenges Ahead: Concepts, Analytics, and Ethics of Value-Based Care in Applied Behavior Analysis

Value-based care has incrementally increased its footprint across healthcare over the past 2 decades. Several organizations in ABA have begun experimenting with various components of value-based care specific to the delivery of ABA services and it seems likely that this trend will continue into the future. For those new to value-based care, this article reviews the main conceptual components as well as common myths and misconceptions about value-based care. Though conceptually straightforward, practically pulling off value-based care in ABA will require significant advancements in data collection, analytics, sharing, and transparency that follow from broad field-wide collaboration. Further, many ethical questions will likely arise as ABA providers begin thinking about and assessing their clinical and business operations through a value-based care lens. Though value-based care will likely roll out slowly and incrementally over many years, ABA providers interested in participating or leading these conversations will likely benefit from focusing collaborative efforts around: normalizing data sharing and self-analysis; defining and developing quality and cost measures; identifying patient risk variables; addressing challenges at the intersection of public health ethics and clinical ethics; and addressing challenges at the intersection of AI ethics and clinical ethics. Most probably agree that optimizing patient outcomes is the goal of ABA services. However, doing it in an objective, measurable, and consistent manner that can be validated by third-parties will require overcoming significant challenges.

Glucose-lowering medicines use before and after entry into long-term care facilities

AIM

To examine changes in the use of glucose-lowering medicine (GLM) 12 months before and 12 months after long-term care facility (LTCF) entry among people with diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A national retrospective cohort study was conducted using linked health and aged care data from the Registry of Senior Australians National Historical Cohort. Residents of LTCFs with diabetes aged 65 years or older from 2015 to 2019 were included. Prevalence of GLM use and the number of defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed per 1000 resident-days were estimated quarterly (91-day) using Poisson regression models, or negative binomial regression when overdispersion was present.

RESULTS

Among the 50 993 residents studied (median age 84 years), the prevalence of GLM use was 58.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 58.0%-58.8%) in the 9-12 months pre-LTCF entry and 56.3% (95% CI 55.9%-56.8%) in the 9-12 months post-entry. The number of DDDs/1000 resident-days increased from 1015.2 (95% CI 1002.3-1028.1) to 1253.8 (95% CI 1168.4-1339.3) during the same period. GLM use in the 3 months pre-entry was 56.8% (95% CI 56.4%-57.2%) compared with 61.7% (95% CI 61.3%-62.1%) in the 3 months post-entry, with the increased use driven mainly by insulin. No marked changes in the number of GLMs dispensed or GLM type were observed at 9-12 months post-entry compared with 3 months pre-entry. Among 22 792 individuals dispensed a GLM in the 3 months prior to LTCF entry, 50.2% continued the same GLM at 9-12 months post-entry.

CONCLUSIONS

GLM use peaked in the first 3 months following LTCF entry, driven mainly by insulin, hence, residents may benefit from close monitoring of diabetes treatment during this period.

National trends in utilisation of glucose lowering medicines by older people with diabetes in long-term care facilities

AIMS

To examine national trends in glucose lowering medicine (GLM) use among older people with diabetes in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) during 2009-2019.

METHODS

A repeated cross-sectional study of individuals ≥65 years with diabetes in Australian LTCFs (n = 140,322) was conducted. Annual age-sex standardised prevalence of GLM use and number of defined daily doses (DDDs)/1000 resident-days were estimated. Multivariable Poisson or Negative binomial regression models were used to estimate adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Prevalence of GLM use remained steady between 2009 (63.9%, 95 %CI 63.3-64.4) and 2019 (64.3%, 95 %CI 63.9-64.8) (aRR 1.00, 95 %CI 1.00-1.00). The percentage of residents receiving metformin increased from 36.0% (95 %CI 35.3-36.7) to 43.5% (95 %CI 42.9-44.1) (aRR 1.01, 95 %CI 1.01-1.01). Insulin use also increased from 21.5% (95 %CI 21.0-22.0) to 27.0% (95 %CI 26.5-27.5) (aRR 1.02, 95 %CI 1.02-1.02). Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor use increased from 1.0% (95 %CI 0.9-1.1) to 21.1% (95 %CI 20.7-21.5) (aRR 1.24, 95 %CI 1.24-1.25), while sulfonylurea use decreased from 34.4% (95 %CI 33.8-35.1) to 19.3% (95 %CI 18.9-19.7) (aRR 0.93, 95 %CI 0.93-0.94). Similar trends were observed in DDDs/1000 resident days.

CONCLUSIONS

The increasing use of insulin and ongoing use of sulfonylureas suggests a need to implement evidence-based strategies to optimise diabetes care in LTCFs.

Diabetes mellitus in older persons with neurocognitive disorder: overtreatment prevalence and associated structural brain MRI findings

BACKGROUND

Tight diabetes control is often applied in older persons with neurocognitive disorder resulting in increased hypoglycemic episodes but little is known about the pattern of brain injury in these overtreated patients. This study aims to: (a) quantify the prevalence of diabetes overtreatment in cognitively impaired older adults in a clinical population followed in an academic memory clinic (b) identify risk factors contributing to overtreatment; and (c) explore the association between diabetes overtreatment and specific brain region volume changes.

METHODS

Retrospective study of older patients with type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment who were diagnosed in a memory clinic from 2013 to 2020. Patients were classified into vulnerable and dependent according to their health profile. Overtreatment was defined when glycated hemoglobin was under 7% for vulnerable and 7.6% for dependent patients. Characteristics associated to overtreatment were examined in multivariable analysis. Grey matter volume in defined brain regions was measured from MRI using voxel-based morphometry and compared in patients over- vs. adequately treated.

RESULTS

Among 161 patients included (median age 76.8 years, range 60.8-93.3 years, 32.9% women), 29.8% were considered as adequately treated, 54.0% as overtreated, and 16.2% as undertreated. In multivariable analyses, no association was observed between diabetes overtreatment and age or the severity of cognitive impairment. Among patients with neuroimaging data (N = 71), associations between overtreatment and grey matter loss were observed in several brain regions. Specifically, significant reductions in grey matter were found in the caudate (adj β coeff: -0.217, 95%CI: [-0.416 to -0.018], p = .033), the precentral gyri (adj βcoeff:-0.277, 95%CI: [-0.482 to -0.073], p = .009), the superior frontal gyri (adj βcoeff: -0.244, 95%CI: [-0.458 to -0.030], p = .026), the calcarine cortex (adj βcoeff:-0.193, 95%CI: [-0.386 to -0.001], p = .049), the superior occipital gyri (adj βcoeff: -0.291, 95%CI: [-0.521 to -0.061], p = .014) and the inferior occipital gyri (adj βcoeff: -0.236, 95%CI: [-0.456 to - 0.015], p = .036).

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of older patients with diabetes and neurocognitive disorder were subjected to excessively intensive treatment. The association identified with volume loss in several specific brain regions highlights the need to further investigate the potential cerebral damages associated with overtreatment and related hypoglycemia in larger sample.

The cost of influence: How gifts to physicians shape prescriptions and drug costs

This paper investigates the influence of gifts - monetary and in-kind payments - from drug firms to US physicians on prescription behavior and drug costs. Using causal models and machine learning, we estimate physicians' heterogeneous responses to payments on antidiabetic prescriptions. We find that payments lead to increased prescription of brand drugs, resulting in a cost rise of $23 per dollar value of transfer received. Paid physicians show higher responses when they treat higher proportions of patients receiving a government-funded low-income subsidy that lowers out-of-pocket drug costs. We estimate that introducing a national gift ban would reduce diabetes drug costs by 2%.

Deprescribing Opportunities for Frail Residents of Nursing Homes: A Multicenter Study in Australia, China, Japan, and Spain

OBJECTIVE

Deprescribing opportunities may differ across health care systems, nursing home settings, and prescribing cultures. The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of STOPPFrail medications according to frailty status among residents of nursing homes in Australia, China, Japan, and Spain.

DESIGN

Secondary cross-sectional analyses of data from 4 cohort studies.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1142 residents in 31 nursing homes.

METHODS

Medication data were extracted from resident records. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL-NH scale (non-frail 0-2; frail 3-6; most-frail 7-14). Chi-square tests and prevalence ratios (PRs) were used to compare STOPPFrail medication use across cohorts.

RESULTS

In total, 84.7% of non-frail, 95.6% of frail, and 90.6% of most-frail residents received ≥1 STOPPFrail medication. Overall, the most prevalent STOPPFrail medications were antihypertensives (53.0% in China to 73.3% in Australia, P < .001), vitamin D (nil in China to 52.7% in Australia, P < .001), lipid-lowering therapies (11.1% in Japan to 38.9% in Australia, P < .001), aspirin (13.5% in Japan to 26.2% in China, P < .001), proton pump inhibitors (2.1% in Japan to 32.0% in Australia, P < .001), and antidiabetic medications (12.3% in Japan to 23.5% in China, P = .010). Overall use of antihypertensives (PR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.06-1.25), lipid-lowering therapies (PR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.45-2.18), aspirin (PR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.64), and antidiabetic medications (PR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.00-1.72) were more prevalent among non-frail and frail residents compared with most-frail residents. Antihypertensive use was more prevalent with increasing frailty in China and Japan, but less prevalent with increasing frailty in Australia. Antidiabetic medication use was less prevalent with increasing frailty in China and Spain but was consistent across frailty groups in Australia and Japan.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

There were overall and frailty-specific variations in prevalence of different STOPPFrail medications across cohorts. This may reflect differences in prescribing cultures, application of clinical practice guidelines in the nursing home setting, and clinician or resident attitudes toward deprescribing.

Education and medication use later in life and the role of intelligence

We investigate the association between education and disease-specific medications in old age, prescribed by medical doctors, accounting for confounders and how this association is shaped by intelligence. We use administrative data on men including prescribed medication records. To account for endogeneity of education we estimate a structural model, consisting of (i) an ordered probit for educational attainment, (ii) a Gompertz mortality model for survival up to old age, (iii) a probit model for prescribed medications in old age, (iv) a measurement system using IQ tests to identify latent intelligence. The results suggest a strong effect of education on prescribed medications for most medications, except for prescribed medication for cardiac diseases and for depression and anxiety.

Symptomatic and preventive medication use according to age and frailty in Australian and Japanese nursing homes

OBJECTIVE

To investigate symptomatic and preventive medication use according to age and frailty in Australian and Japanese nursing homes (NHs).

METHODS

Secondary cross-sectional analyses of two prospective cohort studies involving 12 Australian NHs and four Japanese NHs. Frailty was measured using the FRAIL-NH scale (non-frail 0-2; frail 3-6; most-frail 7-14). Regular medications were classified as symptomatic or preventive based on published lists and expert consensus. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the prevalence and ratio of symptomatic to preventive medications.

RESULTS

Overall, 550 Australian residents (87.7 ± 7.3 years; 73.3% females) and 333 Japanese residents (86.5 ± 7.0 years; 73.3% females) were included. Australian residents used a higher mean number of medications than Japanese residents (9.8 ± 4.0 vs 7.7 ± 3.7, p < 0.0001). Australian residents used more preventive than symptomatic medications (5.5 ± 2.5 vs 4.3 ± 2.6, p < 0.0001), while Japanese residents used more symptomatic than preventive medications (4.7 ± 2.6 vs 3.0 ± 2.2, p < 0.0001). In Australia, symptomatic medications were more prevalent with increasing frailty (non-frail 3.4 ± 2.6; frail 4.0 ± 2.6; most-frail 4.8 ± 2.6, p < 0.0001) but less prevalent with age (< 80 years 5.0 ± 2.9; 80-89 years 4.4 ± 2.6; ≥ 90 years 3.9 ± 2.5, p = 0.0042); while preventive medications remained similar across age and frailty groups. In Japan, there was no significant difference in the mean number of symptomatic and preventive medications irrespective of age and frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

The ratio of symptomatic to preventive medications was higher with increasing frailty but lower with age in Australia; whereas in Japan, the ratio remained consistent across age and frailty groups. Preventive medications remained prevalent in most-frail residents in both cohorts, albeit at lower levels in Japan.

Medication Prescribing for Type 2 Diabetes in the US Long-Term Care Setting: Observational Study

OBJECTIVES

To characterize prescribing of glucose-lowering medication annually and to quantify the annual frequency of hypoglycemia among residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

DESIGN

Serial cross-sectional study using a deidentified real-world database comprising electronic health records from LTC facilities.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Individuals eligible for this study were ≥65 years old with T2DM and recorded stay of ≥100 days at an LTC facility in the United States in any of 5 study years (2016-2020), excluding individuals receiving palliative or hospice care.

METHODS

Drug orders (prescriptions) for glucose-lowering medications for each LTC resident with T2DM in each calendar year were summarized by administration route (oral or injectable) and by drug class as ever-prescribed (ie, multiple prescriptions were included once), overall and stratified by age subgroup, <3 vs ≥3 comorbidities, and obesity status. We calculated the annual percentage of patients ever prescribed glucose-lowering medication each year, overall and by medication category, who experienced ≥1 hypoglycemic events.

RESULTS

Among 71,200 to 120,861 LTC residents with T2DM included each year from 2016 to 2020, 68% to 73% (depending on the year) were prescribed ≥1 glucose-lowering medications, including oral agents for 59% to 62% and injectable agents for 70% to 71%. Metformin was the most commonly prescribed oral agent, followed by sulfonylureas and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors; basal plus prandial insulin was the most commonly prescribed injectable regimen. Prescribing patterns remained relatively consistent from 2016 to 2020, both overall and by patient subgroup. During each study year, 35% of LTC residents with T2DM experienced level 1 hypoglycemia (glucose ≥54 to <70 mg/dL), including 10% to 12% of those prescribed only oral agents and ≥44% of those prescribed injectable agents. Overall, 24% to 25% experienced level 2 hypoglycemia (glucose concentration <54 mg/dL).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Study findings suggest that opportunities exist for improving diabetes management for LTC residents with T2DM.

Systematic Review of Psychotropic Adverse Drug Event Monitoring Tools for Use in Long-Term Care Facilities

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate properties of psychotropic adverse drug event (ADE) monitoring tools intended for use in long-term care facilities.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Adults aged 18 years and older in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

METHODS

Medline, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycInfo were searched from inception to August 2022 for studies reporting the development, validation, or application of tools to monitor psychotropic ADEs. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed independently by 2 authors. Each tool was assessed under the domains of test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, content validity, and construct validity.

RESULTS

Eight studies that described 6 tools were included. Tools were developed in Wales (n = 2), United States (n = 1), Ireland (n = 1), Canada (n = 1), and Singapore (n = 1). Tools monitored 4 to 95 items related to antipsychotics (n = 6 tools), antidepressants (n = 4), benzodiazepines or hypnotics (n = 4), antiepileptics (n = 4), and dementia medications (n = 1). Tools commonly monitored sedation, tiredness, or sleepiness (n = 6); falls (n = 4); and tremor or extrapyramidal symptoms (n = 4). Tools were designed for application by nurses (n = 4), during family conferences (n = 1), and by general medical practitioners before repeat prescribing (n = 1). Two tools were reported to require 10 to 60 minutes to administer. Four tools were determined to have adequate content validity and 2 tools adequate interrater reliability. No tools reported test-retest reliability or construct validity.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Six published psychotropic ADE monitoring tools are heterogeneous in design and intended application. Existing tools are predominately designed for application by nurses with or without direct involvement of the wider multidisciplinary team. Further research is needed into models of care that facilitate psychotropic ADE monitoring in the long-term care facility setting, and the extent to which application of specific tools is associated with reduced medication-related harm.

Ten-Year Prospective Follow-Up of Institutionalized Patients With Diabetes in a Long-Term Care Home

Clinical practice recommendations advise individualizing diabetes treatment for elderly people, especially those living in long-term care facilities. Elderly patients face one of two main risks: either excessive treatment leading to hypoglycemia or insufficient treatment leading to progression of complications and excess mortality. This article describes a 10-year prospective observational study of people with diabetes in a long-term care home to determine the effect of routine glucose monitoring and monthly evaluation by a diabetes specialist with a goal of improving A1C. Its findings suggest that minimal glucose monitoring and monthly medical follow-up can optimize patient outcomes and help to maintain quality of life without over-medicalization of older people with diabetes in institutional settings.

Glycemic treatment deintensification practices in nursing home residents with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Older nursing home (NH) residents with glycemic overtreatment are at significant risk of hypoglycemia and other harms and may benefit from deintensification. However, little is known about deintensification practices in this setting.

METHODS

We conducted a cohort study from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2019 among Veterans Affairs (VA) NH residents. Participants were VA NH residents age ≥65 with type 2 diabetes with a NH length of stay (LOS) ≥ 30 days and an HbA1c result during their NH stay. We defined overtreatment as HbA1c <6.5 with any insulin use, and potential overtreatment as HbA1c <7.5 with any insulin use or HbA1c <6.5 on any glucose-lowering medication (GLM) other than metformin alone. Our primary outcome was continued glycemic overtreatment without deintensification 14 days after HbA1c.

RESULTS

Of the 7422 included residents, 17% of residents met criteria for overtreatment and an additional 23% met criteria for potential overtreatment. Among residents overtreated and potentially overtreated at baseline, 27% and 19%, respectively had medication regimens deintensified (73% and 81%, respectively, continued to be overtreated). Long-acting insulin use and hyperglycemia ≥300 mg/dL before index HbA1c were associated with increased odds of continued overtreatment (odds ratio [OR] 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.65 and OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.10-1.66, respectively). Severe functional impairment (MDS-ADL score ≥ 19) was associated with decreased odds of continued overtreatment (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.95). Hypoglycemia was not associated with decreased odds of overtreatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Overtreatment of diabetes in NH residents is common and a minority of residents have their medication regimens appropriately deintensified. Deprescribing initiatives targeting residents at high risk of harms and with low likelihood of benefit such as those with history of hypoglycemia, or high levels of cognitive or functional impairment are most likely to identify NH residents most likely to benefit from deintensification.

Sliding scale insulin use in a national cohort study of nursing home residents with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Guidelines discourage sliding scale insulin (SSI) use after the first week of a nursing home (NH) admission. We sought to determine the prevalence of SSI and identify factors associated with stopping SSI or transitioning to another short-acting insulin regimen.

METHODS

In an observational study from October 1, 2013, to June 30, 2017 of non-hospice Veterans Affairs NH residents with type 2 diabetes and an NH admission over 1 week, we compared the weekly prevalence of SSI versus two other short-acting insulin regimens - fixed dose insulin (FDI) or correction dose insulin (CDI, defined as variable SSI given alongside fixed doses of insulin) - from week 2 to week 12 of admission. Among those on SSI in week 2, we examined factors associated with stopping SSI or transitioning to other regimens by week 5. Factors included demographics (e.g., age, sex, race/ethnicity), frailty-related factors (e.g., comorbidities, cognitive impairment, functional impairment), and diabetes-related factors (e.g., HbA1c, long-acting insulin use, hyperglycemia, and hypoglycemia).

RESULTS

In week 2, 21% of our cohort was on SSI, 8% was on FDI, and 7% was on CDI. SSI was the most common regimen in frail subgroups (e.g., 18% of our cohort with moderate-severe cognitive impairment was on SSI vs 5% on FDI and 4% on CDI). SSI prevalence decreased steadily from 21% to 16% at week 12 (p for linear trend <0.001), mostly through stopping SSI. Diabetes-related factors (e.g., hyperglycemia) were more strongly associated with continuing SSI or transitioning to a non-SSI short-acting insulin regimen than frailty-related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

SSI is the most common method of administering short-acting insulin in NH residents. More research needs to be done to explore why sliding scale use persists weeks after NH admission and explore how we can replace this practice with safer, more effective, and less burdensome regimens.

A retrospective study of diabetes treatment in older adults: what should we AIM for?

OBJECTIVES

Management of diabetes in elderly individuals requires a complex approach, considering the negative consequences. Glycemic overtreatment and undertreatment are relatively common conditions among this population. This study aimed to determine the potential overtreatment and undertreatment frequencies in older adults and the factors associated with these conditions.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 405 diabetic older adults aged >65 years. Sociodemographic characteristics, additional comorbidities, medications, HbA1c and fasting glucose levels of the patients have been recorded.

RESULTS

The median age of the patients was 71 years. The frequency of potential overtreatment and undertreatment has been found to be 20.2% and 17.8%, respectively. Insulin and sulfonylureas were found to be associated with increased risk of potential overtreatment (p = 0.000, OR = 14.91 and p = 0.000, OR = 8.48, respectively) and reduced risk of potential undertreatment (p = 0.001, OR = 0.16 and p = 0.000, OR = 0.05, respectively), while DPP-4 inhibitors were found to be associated with reduced risk of potential undertreatment (p = 0.000, OR = 0.12).

CONCLUSION

Our study has shown that potential glycemic overtreatment and undertreatment are common problems in diabetic older adults. It was found that agents with a high risk of hypoglycemia, such as insulin and sulfonylureas, were more closely associated with potential overtreatment. In the management of diabetes in the elderly, it should be aimed to choose treatment agents that lead to less negative consequences and to follow up the patients more closely.