Edy Kornelius1, Jeng-Yuan Chiou2, Yi-Sun Yang1, Ying-Li Lu1, Chiung-Huei Peng3, Chien-Ning Huang4. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Medicine of Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. 2. School of Health Policy and Management, Institute of Medicine of Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. 3. Division of Basic Medical Science, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan. 4. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Medicine of Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: cshy049@csh.org.tw.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The Diabetes Shared Care Program (DSCP) is an integrated diabetes care model designed to increase the quality of diabetes care in Taiwan. The efficacy of this program is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated whether participating patients had reduced risks of cardiovascular events, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality. METHODS: All 120,000 diabetes patients' data in this retrospective cohort study were obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. DSCP participants received integrated care from a physician, diabetes educator, and dietitian. Otherwise, non-DSCP participants visited a physician without instruction from a diabetes educator or dietitian. We followed these patients until the first hospitalizations due to cardiovascular events. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival curves, and the Cox proportional hazards model was applied to determine the risk of cardiovascular events. RESULTS: A total of 4458 participants and 4458 matched controls were enrolled in this study. Mean age of both participants and nonparticipants was 56 years. DSCP participants had significantly lower risks of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR] 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-0.95), including stroke (HR 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.98) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.95), compared with nonparticipants. Older age, male, history of hypertension, chronic lung disease, and prescription for insulin secretagogues or insulin tended to have higher cardiovascular risks. Nevertheless, the following drugs reduced the cardiovascular risks: biguanides, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, and thiazolidinediones. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in the DSCP was associated with lower risks of cardiovascular events, stroke, and all-cause mortality.
OBJECTIVE: The Diabetes Shared Care Program (DSCP) is an integrated diabetes care model designed to increase the quality of diabetes care in Taiwan. The efficacy of this program is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated whether participating patients had reduced risks of cardiovascular events, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality. METHODS: All 120,000 diabetespatients' data in this retrospective cohort study were obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. DSCP participants received integrated care from a physician, diabetes educator, and dietitian. Otherwise, non-DSCP participants visited a physician without instruction from a diabetes educator or dietitian. We followed these patients until the first hospitalizations due to cardiovascular events. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival curves, and the Cox proportional hazards model was applied to determine the risk of cardiovascular events. RESULTS: A total of 4458 participants and 4458 matched controls were enrolled in this study. Mean age of both participants and nonparticipants was 56 years. DSCP participants had significantly lower risks of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR] 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-0.95), including stroke (HR 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.98) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.95), compared with nonparticipants. Older age, male, history of hypertension, chronic lung disease, and prescription for insulin secretagogues or insulin tended to have higher cardiovascular risks. Nevertheless, the following drugs reduced the cardiovascular risks: biguanides, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, and thiazolidinediones. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in the DSCP was associated with lower risks of cardiovascular events, stroke, and all-cause mortality.