Jianmin Wu1, Fritha Morrison2, Zhenxiang Zhao1, Ginger Haynes1, Xuanyao He1, Ayad K Ali1, Maria Shubina2, Shervin Malmasi2,3, Wendong Ge2,3, Xiaomei Peng1, Alexander Turchin4,5. 1. Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA. 2. Division of Endocrinology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. 3. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 4. Division of Endocrinology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. aturchin@bwh.harvard.edu. 5. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. aturchin@bwh.harvard.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that insulin therapy of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is frequently discontinued. However, the reasons for discontinuing insulin and factors associated with insulin discontinuation in this patient population are not well understood. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with T2DM prescribed insulin between 2010 and 2017 at Partners HealthCare. Reasons for discontinuing insulin and factors associated with insulin discontinuation were studied using electronic medical records (EMR) data. Natural language processing (NLP) was applied to identify reasons from unstructured clinical notes. Factors associated with insulin discontinuation were extracted from structured EMR data and evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 7009 study patients, 2957 (42.2%) discontinued insulin within 12 months after study entry. Most patients who discontinued insulin (2121 / 71.7%) had reasons for discontinuation documented. The most common reasons were improving blood glucose control (33.2%), achieved weight loss (18.5%) and initiation of non-insulin diabetes medications (16.7%). In multivariable analysis adjusted for demographics and comorbidities, patients were more likely to discontinue either basal or bolus insulin if they were on a basal-bolus regimen (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.8; p < 0.001) or were being seen by an endocrinologist (OR 2.6; 95% CI 2.2 to 3.0; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this large real-world evidence study conducted in an area with a high penetration of health insurance, insulin discontinuation countenanced by healthcare providers was common. In most cases it was linked to achievement of glycemic control, achieved weight loss and initiation of other diabetes medications. Factors associated with and stated reasons for insulin discontinuation were different from those previously described for non-adherence to insulin therapy, identifying it as a distinct clinical phenomenon.
BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that insulin therapy of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is frequently discontinued. However, the reasons for discontinuing insulin and factors associated with insulin discontinuation in this patient population are not well understood. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with T2DM prescribed insulin between 2010 and 2017 at Partners HealthCare. Reasons for discontinuing insulin and factors associated with insulin discontinuation were studied using electronic medical records (EMR) data. Natural language processing (NLP) was applied to identify reasons from unstructured clinical notes. Factors associated with insulin discontinuation were extracted from structured EMR data and evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 7009 study patients, 2957 (42.2%) discontinued insulin within 12 months after study entry. Most patients who discontinued insulin (2121 / 71.7%) had reasons for discontinuation documented. The most common reasons were improving blood glucose control (33.2%), achieved weight loss (18.5%) and initiation of non-insulin diabetes medications (16.7%). In multivariable analysis adjusted for demographics and comorbidities, patients were more likely to discontinue either basal or bolus insulin if they were on a basal-bolus regimen (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.8; p < 0.001) or were being seen by an endocrinologist (OR 2.6; 95% CI 2.2 to 3.0; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this large real-world evidence study conducted in an area with a high penetration of health insurance, insulin discontinuation countenanced by healthcare providers was common. In most cases it was linked to achievement of glycemic control, achieved weight loss and initiation of other diabetes medications. Factors associated with and stated reasons for insulin discontinuation were different from those previously described for non-adherence to insulin therapy, identifying it as a distinct clinical phenomenon.
Entities:
Keywords:
Discontinuation; Insulin; Real-world evidence; Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Timothy M Dall; Wenya Yang; Karin Gillespie; Michelle Mocarski; Erin Byrne; Inna Cintina; Kaleigh Beronja; April P Semilla; William Iacobucci; Paul F Hogan Journal: Diabetes Care Date: 2019-04-02 Impact factor: 19.112