Too many older, clinically complex patients with diabetes end up needing emergency room care due to overtreatment, according to a recent Mayo Clinic study.
In their analysis, the researchers estimated that more than 2.3 million U.S. adult diabetes patients are treated too intensively, meaning they received more glucose-lowering therapy than their hemoglobin A1C levels indicated they needed.
That leads to otherwise preventable ER visits and hospitalizations — nearly 10,000 in a two-year period — for low blood sugar, according to lead author Rozalina McCoy, M.D.
The endocrinologist and her team found about 32% of the 10.7 million diabetics studied were clinically complex. Being over 75, having two or more limits on activities of daily living, and end-stage kidney disease or the presence of three or more chronic conditions put them at higher risk for acute complications.
“These patients are unlikely to benefit from intensive therapy rather than moderate glycemic control,” McCoy said. “When we develop a diabetes treatment plan, our goal should be to maximize benefit while reducing harm and burden of treatment.”
From the November 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
