Naushira Pandya

Management of Diabetes in Long-term Care and Skilled Nursing Facilities: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association

Diabetes is more common in older adults, has a high prevalence in long-term care (LTC) facilities, and is associated with significant disease burden and higher cost. The heterogeneity of this population with regard to comorbidities and overall health status is critical to establishing personalized goals and treatments for diabetes. The risk of hypoglycemia is the most important factor in determining glycemic goals due to the catastrophic consequences in this population. Simplified treatment regimens are preferred, and the sole use of sliding scale insulin (SSI) should be avoided. This position statement provides a classification system for older adults in LTC settings, describes how diabetes goals and management should be tailored based on comorbidities, delineates key issues to consider when using glucose-lowering agents in this population, and provides recommendations on how to replace SSI in LTC facilities. As these patients transition from one setting to another, or from one provider to another, their risk for adverse events increases. Strategies are presented to reduce these risks and ensure safe transitions. This article addresses diabetes management at end of life and in those receiving palliative and hospice care. The integration of diabetes management into LTC facilities is important and requires an interprofessional team approach. To facilitate this approach, acceptance by administrative personnel is needed, as are protocols and possibly system changes. It is important for clinicians to understand the characteristics, challenges, and barriers related to the older population living in LTC facilities as well as the proper functioning of the facilities themselves. Once these challenges are identified, individualized approaches can be designed to improve diabetes management while lowering the risk of hypoglycemia and ultimately improving quality of life.

The prevalence and persistence of sliding scale insulin use among newly admitted elderly nursing home residents with diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the initiation and persistence of sliding scale insulin (SSI) therapy in elderly nursing home (NH) residents. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS A longitudinal study of NH residents (N = 9804) with diabetes aged 65 years and older who were admitted between 2002 and 2003 and resided for 1 month or longer in long-term care facilities associated with a for-profit nursing home chain. RESULTS Rates of SSI use were high among patients who were started on insulin during their stay in nursing homes (54%), and 22% of the total number of orders for insulin were for SSI. After insulin initiation, 83% of residents who were started on SSI remained on it by the end of the study. Of those who had not started on SSI, 33% were later switched to SSI. DISCUSSION This study demonstrated that SSI regimens were highly prevalent and, once initiated, tended to be continued in the treatment of elderly patients with diabetes newly admitted to nursing homes. Multiple factors were found to be significantly associated with initiation and persistence of SSI. CONCLUSION The high prevalence and persistent use of SSI is inconsistent with the American Medical Directors Association guideline as well as current recommendations. Additional studies are needed to evaluate outcomes associated with prolonged SSI use in long-term care facilities.

Study of anemia in long-term care (SALT): prevalence of anemia and its relationship with the risk of falls in nursing home residents

ABSTRACT Objective: The objectives of the current study were twofold. First, this study examined the prevalence of anemia in nursing home residents in the USA and its relationship with key resident characteristics and medical conditions. Second, the study explored whether an association between anemia and falls is evident in this same population. Research design and methods: Chart review was conducted in 40 nursing homes across the USA. Residents were randomly sampled and considered eligible if they: were ≥18 years of age; had ≥1 hemoglobin (Hb) level reported during the data uptake period of 1/1/04–2/1/05 (first occurrence defined as index Hb); had a recorded serum creatinine level; maintained residency in the facility; and did not receive dialysis during the 6-month post-index follow-up period. Resident demographics, laboratory values, comorbid conditions, medication regimens, falling events, physical functioning measures, and hospitalizations were obtained from chart data. The relationship between selected resident characteristics and comorbidities was explored with index Hb level, using multiple linear regression. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between falling and recurrent falls with anemia (index Hb <13 g/dL and <12 g/dL in men and women ≥15 years, respectively) adjusting for selected variables presumed to be related to falls. Limitations: Study limitations include the retrospective design and limited follow-up, potential for biased selection of relevant covariates, gaps in time between index Hb levels and falling events, non-random selection of nursing homes, limits to quality and detail in data extracted from residents’ medical charts, and confounding of anemia therapy with index hemoglobin level. Results: A total of 564 sampled residents met the criteria for data completeness and were retained for analysis; of these, 70% were female. Mean age was 81 ± 12.3 years (±SD). Mean index Hb level was 11.9 ± 1.8 g/dL (12.2 ± 2.0 for males, 11.7 ± 1.6 for females). Of all residents studied, 56% were identified as anemic (64% males, 53% females) from index Hb level. In all, 53% of anemic residents were receiving an identified therapy, with 72% of these treated residents receiving iron. None received an erythropoietic-stimulating agent (ESA). For index Hb level, the regression coefficient was significant for female (p = 0.002), African-American race (p = 0.012), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p < 0.001), diabetes (p = 0.004), cancer (p < 0.001), asthma (p = 0.002), GI bleeding (p = 0.012), and inflammatory disease (p = 0.039). Except for asthma, these factors were associated with a decrease in Hb. In the regression model for the dependent variable of falling, anemia (OR = 2.26, p < 0.001), psychoactive medication use (OR = 2.18, p = 0.001), and age 85+ years (OR = 2.08, p = 0.016) were associated with more than twice the risk of falling. Conclusions: Anemia in nursing home residents appears to be under-recognized. For residents over 70 years, the prevalence of anemia in both male and female residents was approximately four times the rate reported in a study of older community dwellers (Salive et al., 1992). Both anemia and the use of psychoactive medications are potentially modifiable factors strongly associated with falling. Since falls and related fractures are events associated with high morbidity and mortality, each of these factors deserves special consideration for potentially reducing the risk of such events in the nursing home.

Skin Tissue Water Assessed via Tissue Dielectric Constant Measurements in Persons With and Without Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND Skin changes in diabetes mellitus (DM) include possible increases in foot skin water content as interpreted from altered echogenicity in high-frequency ultrasound images. The present goal was to investigate the possibility of undetected increased local skin water in persons with DM using a handheld portable rapid measuring device that measures the tissue dielectric constant (TDC) as an indicator of skin tissue water. SUBJECTS AND METHODS TDC measurements were done bilaterally on 18 persons with DM and 18 persons without DM (NODM) at foot dorsum and anterior forearm to tissue depths of 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 mm. DM duration was 11.1 ± 10.9 years. Age, body mass index, and blood pressures were not significantly different between groups. RESULTS NODM and DM TDC values decreased with increasing depth at forearm but were depth independent at foot dorsum. All DM foot TDC values were significantly (P<0.05) greater than for NODM, with foot TDC values at 2.5 mm depth being 14.8% greater than in NODM. DM forearm TDC values were not significantly greater than NODM. CONCLUSIONS A technology that characterizes local skin water in a rapid and noninvasive way has been used for the first time in persons with DM. The greater TDC value at the foot dorsum of the DM group is consistent with the presence of previously unrecognized increased fluid content. This suggests that there may be benefit utilizing this measurement method as a way to screen for early changes in foot skin features that may tend to cause DM-related edema.

Contributions of basal and prandial hyperglycemia to total hyperglycemia in older and younger adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

To evaluate the relative contributions of basal and prandial components to total hyperglycemia in older and younger adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Burden of Sliding Scale Insulin Use in Elderly Long‐Term Care Residents with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

To examine prevalence, practice patterns, and associated burden of sliding scale insulin (SSI) therapy in elderly adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Managing Diabetes in Long-Term Care Facilities: Benefits of Switching From Human Insulin to Insulin Analogs

The unique requirements of residents with diabetes in long-term care (LTC) facilities necessitate a protocol-driven, individualized approach to care. Established treatment guidelines for the management of diabetes are written with the general population in mind and, although the principles remain the same in LTC patients, clinical priorities and strategies may need to be modified, and glycemic goals should be balanced against quality of life. This article identifies and explores the institutional, staff, patient and medication-related factors that contribute to the complexity of delivering optimal diabetes care in the LTC setting, and focuses on how insulin analogs, and the pens used for their delivery, can simplify and improve care delivery while, in many cases, reducing institutional costs.

Use of warfarin therapy among residents who developed venous thromboembolism in the nursing home.

BACKGROUND Treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in long-term care (LTC) settings has received little empirical study. OBJECTIVE Among residents with VTE in nursing homes, this analysis evaluated frequency of anticoagulant use, the proportion of residents newly started on warfarin who persisted on therapy (≥3 months), and the association of key resident characteristics, including bleeding risk, with warfarin use and persistence. METHODS Using the AnalytiCare LTC database (US), eligible residents had deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism coded in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 2.0 during the uptake period April 1, 2007 through December 31, 2008 (earliest VTE was index date) and had 1 or more MDS assessment(s) over the 90-day preindex period, each negative for VTE. Logistic regression evaluated the association of resident characteristics with warfarin use. Cox regression evaluated persistence with warfarin therapy. RESULTS The median age of residents with VTE included in the analysis (N = 489) was 80 years; 73% received anticoagulant therapy and 66% were prescribed warfarin ±45 days of the index date. Multivariate logistic regression identified several factors significantly associated with warfarin use: location in South Central region (odds ratio [OR] = 1.94, P = 0.019) and the Western region (OR = 2.53, P = 0.005) [both vs reference South Atlantic]; body mass index categories normal (OR = 2.73, P = 0.045), overweight (OR = 4.21, P = 0.005), and obese (OR = 3.82, P = 0.010) (both vs reference underweight); Alzheimers/dementia (OR = 0.52, P = 0.024); cancer (OR = 0.39, P = 0.008); and moderate-dependent versus independent physical functioning (OR = 2.59, P = 0.003). Of residents newly started on warfarin therapy with no history of cancer (n = 149), 28% discontinued warfarin within 90 days of initiation. Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) (OR = 4.07, P < 0.001), Alzheimers disease/dementia (OR = 2.55, P = 0.046), and antipsychotic use (OR = 4.60, P < 0.001) were all significantly associated with discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS Patients in specific geographic regions who were underweight, had Alzheimers disease/dementia or cancer, or had independent physical functioning were less likely to receive warfarin. Nonpersistence of warfarin therapy was strongly related to antipsychotic use, presence of dementia, or PVD.

Eye on Diabetes: A Multidisciplinary Patient Education Intervention

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of usual care to an intervention emphasizing patient education targeted at a multicultural adult patient population with diabetes seeking eye care in an academic health center. METHODS Ninety patients were randomized to usual care or to the intervention. All patients received a comprehensive eye health and vision examination and completed a demographic survey, a patient satisfaction survey, and a diabetes eye health pretest and posttest administered by a masked examiner at 1 week and 3 months. A multidisciplinary (optometry, pharmacy, endocrinology) patient education curriculum was developed for patients randomized to the intervention. Because the dependent variable was measured at 3 points on a nominal scale, a binary generalized estimating equation was employed. RESULTS The assessment of patient knowledge at baseline revealed misconceptions about diabetic eye disease. While most patients recognized that people with diabetes should have regularly scheduled eye examinations through dilated pupils (90.0%), most patients incorrectly reported that diabetic eye disease usually has early warning signs (75.6%). While controlling for age, gender, race, education, and HbA1c level, subjects who participated in the intervention were 2 times more likely to score higher on the posttest (chi(2) = 45.51, P > .00). No differences between pretest and posttest scores were found for patients who did not participate in the intervention (chi(2) = 11.67, P > .11). CONCLUSIONS Patients who participated in the educational intervention demonstrated an increase in knowledge across time. Patients may benefit from education emphasizing the importance of dilated eye examinations in the absence of ocular symptoms.

Use of basal insulin and the associated clinical outcomes among elderly nursing home residents with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a retrospective chart review study

Background The management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in long-term care (LTC) settings can be complex as a result of age-related complications. Despite guideline recommendations, sliding scale insulin remains commonplace in the LTC setting and data on basal insulin use are lacking. Methods This retrospective study used medical chart data and the Minimum Data Set from elderly LTC facility patients who received basal insulin (insulin glargine, insulin detemir, or neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin) for the treatment of diabetes, to investigate the practice patterns and associated clinical outcomes. Results A total of 2,096 elderly, insulin-treated patients in LTC were identified, with 59.5% of them (N=1,247) receiving basal insulin. Of these, more than 50% of patients received sliding scale insulin in co-administration with basal insulin. Despite its ease of use, insulin pen use was very low, at 14.6%. Significant differences were observed between the basal insulin groups for glycated hemoglobin level and dosing frequency. Hypoglycemia was uncommon −17.2% of patients experienced at least one event, and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of hypoglycemia between the groups. Conclusion These data suggest the underutilization of basal insulin in the LTC setting and worryingly high combinational use with sliding scale insulin. Differences in glycated hemoglobin and dosing frequencies between types of basal insulin warrant further comparative effectiveness studies.