Reidun Lisbet Skeide Kjome

The Prevalence of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose and Costs of Glucometer Strips in a Nationwide Cohort

OBJECTIVE This study used nationwide data to determine the prevalence of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) among all non-institutionalized persons living in Norway and to estimate the prevalence of SMBG among diabetes patients, the frequency and cost of SMBG, and the use of different glucometers. METHODS This retrospective, descriptive study is based on data of sales of glucometer strips to non-institutionalized persons in Norway in 2008. The data included gender, age group, month of purchase, sales place, type of strips, number of packages dispensed, and cost of strips. Additionally, statistics on sales of insulin and oral antidiabetes medications were obtained from the Norwegian Prescription Database. RESULTS A total of 96,999 persons purchased strips, a prevalence of 2%. Approximately 70% of diabetes patients practiced SMBG. An average patient used 1.7 strips per day, and younger patients purchased more strips than older patients. Fewer than 50% of patients performed glucose measurements daily. One percent of patients used more than 10 strips daily and was accountable for 8% of total costs. Most patients used only one type of strips, but the number of strips purchased increased with the number of different strips. The average annual cost of strips was 446 euro per person. CONCLUSIONS Two percent of all non-institutionalized inhabitants and an estimated 70% of patients using diabetes medication purchased SMBG strips. A small percentage of the patients incurred a substantial proportion of the costs. This, along with the fact that over half of the patients monitor less than once per day, calls for tighter follow-up of diabetes patients.

Diabetes care in Norwegian pharmacies: a descriptive study

Objective To describe Norwegian pharmacies’ involvement in diabetes care, to investigate pharmacists’ views on future services and to investigate whether the recommendations in the Norwegian diabetes declaration for pharmacies have been implemented. Setting Hospital and community pharmacies in Norway. Method All 543 pharmacies in Norway, of which 511 were community pharmacies and 32 were hospital pharmacies, received a link to a web-based questionnaire. One pharmacist from each pharmacy was asked to complete the questionnaire. The questionnaire covered subjects ranging from the diabetes declaration and the pharmacists’ views on which services the pharmacy should offer in the future, to demographic characteristics. Results In total 358 (66%) questionnaires were completed. The diabetes declaration was read by 37% of the pharmacists. Almost all pharmacies complied with the declarations’ recommendations regarding glucose monitoring services. Twenty four percent of the pharmacies could offer medication reviews, and roughly 10% could offer screening for undiagnosed diabetes. Counseling on lifestyle issues was the least implemented recommendation. Eighty one percent of the pharmacists reported a wish to expand their services towards diabetes patients. Services in regard to glucose monitoring had the highest score, however the views on which services should be offered varied a great deal. Already performing a service increased the chance of the pharmacist being positive towards offering it. Conclusion Norwegian pharmacists report that they are involved in a wide range of diabetes related services, although only 37% report to have read the diabetes declaration. The pharmacists generally wish to actively support patients with diabetes, and further research should concentrate on identifying the areas where their involvement is most productive.

Quality assessment of patients' self-monitoring of blood glucose in community pharmacies.

Objective To evaluate diabetes patients’ self-monitoring of blood glucose using a community pharmacy-based quality assurance procedure, to investigate whether the procedure improved the quality of the patient performance of self monitoring of blood glucose, and to examine the opinions of the patients taking part in the study. Methods The results of patient blood glucose measurements were compared to the results obtained with HemoCue Glucose 201+ by pharmacy employees in 16 Norwegian community pharmacies. Patient performance was monitored using an eight item checklist. Patients whose blood glucose measurements differed from pharmacy measurements by more than 20% were instructed in the correct use of their glucometer. The patients then re-measured their blood glucose. If the results were still outside the set limits, the control procedure was repeated with a new lot of glucometer strips, and then with a new glucometer. The patients returned for a follow-up visit after three months. Results During the first visit, 5% of the 338 patients had measurements that deviated from pharmacy blood glucose values by more than 20% and user errors were observed for 50% of the patients. At the second visit, there was no significant change in the analytical quality of patient measurements, but the percentage of patients who made user errors had decreased to 29% (p < 0.001). Eighty-five percent of the patients reported that they used their blood glucose results to adjust medication, exercise or meals. Fifty-one percent of the patients reported a greater trust in their measurements after the second visit. Eighty percent of patients wished to have their measurements assessed yearly. Of these patients, 83% preferred to have the assessment done at the community pharmacy. Conclusion A community pharmacy-based quality assessment procedure of patients’ self monitoring of blood glucose significantly reduced the number of user errors. The analytical quality of the patients’ measurements was good and did not improve further during the study. The high analytical quality might be explained by a selection bias of participating patients. Patients also reported increased confidence in their blood glucose measurements after their measurements had been assessed at the pharmacy.

The potential for deprescribing in care home residents with Type 2 diabetes

Background Type 2 diabetes is a common diagnosis in care home residents that is associated with potentially inappropriate prescribing and thus risk of additional suffering. Previous studies found that diabetes medicines can be safely withdrawn in care home residents, encouraging further investigation of the potential for deprescribing amongst these patients. Objectives Describe comorbidities and medicine use in care home residents with Type 2 diabetes; identify number of potentially inappropriate medicines prescribed for these residents using a medicines optimisation tool; assess clinical applicability of the tool. Setting Thirty care homes for older people, East Anglia, UK. Method Data on diagnoses and medicines were extracted from medical records of 826 residents. Potentially inappropriate medicines were identified using the tool ‘Optimising Safe and Appropriate Medicines Use’. Twenty percent of results were validated by a care home physician. Main outcome measure Number of potentially inappropriate medicines. Results The 106 residents with Type 2 diabetes had more comorbidities and prescriptions than those without. Over 90 % of residents with Type 2 diabetes had at least one potentially inappropriate medication. The most common was absence of valid indication. The physician unreservedly endorsed 39 % of the suggested deprescribing, and would consider discontinuing all but one of the remaining medicines following access to additional information. Conclusion UK care home residents with Type 2 diabetes had an increased burden of comorbidities and prescriptions. The majority of these patients were prescribed potentially inappropriate medicines. Validation by a care home physician supported the clinical applicability of the medicines optimisation tool.

‘I try not to bother the residents too much’ – the use of capillary blood glucose measurements in nursing homes

BackgroundCapillary blood glucose measurements are regularly used for nursing home residents with diabetes. The usefulness of these measurements relies on clear indications for use, correct measurement techniques, proper documentation and clinical use of the resulting blood glucose values. The use of a regular, invasive procedure may also entail additional challenges in a population of older, multimorbid patients who often suffer from cognitive impairment or dementia. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of physicians, registered nurses and auxiliary nurses on the use, usefulness and potential challenges of using capillary blood glucose measurements in nursing homes, and the procedures for doing so.MethodsThis was a qualitative study that used three profession-specific focus group interviews. Interviews were transcribed in modified verbatim form and analysed in accordance with Malterud’s principles of systematic text condensation. Five physicians, four registered nurses and three auxiliary nurses participated in the focus groups.ResultsAll professional groups regarded capillary blood glucose measurements as a necessity in the management of diabetes, the physicians to ensure that the treatment is appropriate, and the nurses to be certain and assured about their caring decisions. Strict glycaemic control and excessive measurements were avoided in order to promote the well-being and safety of the residents. Sufficient knowledge of diabetes symptoms, equivalent practices for glucose measurement, and unambiguous documentation and communication of results were determined to be most helpful. However, all professional groups seldom involved the residents in managing their own measurements and stated that guidelines and training had been inconsistent or lacking.ConclusionInadequate procedures and training in diabetes care may compromise the rationale for capillary blood glucose measurements in nursing homes, and hence the residents’ safety. These concerns should be addressed together with the possibility of involving and empowering residents by exploring their ability and wish to manage their own disease.

Risk assessment and HbA1c measurement in Norwegian community pharmacies to identify people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes – A feasibility study

Objectives Determine the feasibility of using a diabetes risk assessment tool followed by HbA1c-measurement in a community-pharmacy setting in Norway. Methods In this longitudinal study two pharmacists in each of three community pharmacies were trained to perform risk assessments, HbA1c-measurements and counselling. Pharmacy customers who were > 18 years old and could understand and speak Norwegian or English were recruited in the pharmacies during a two-months-period. Information about the service was presented in local newspapers, social media, leaflets and posters at the pharmacy. Customers wishing to participate contacted the pharmacy staff. Participants completed a validated diabetes risk test and a background questionnaire including a validated instrument for self-rated health. A HbA1c measurement was performed for individuals with a moderate to high risk of developing diabetes. If HbA1c ≥ 6.5% they were recommended to visit their general practitioner for follow-up. The pharmacies performed internal and external quality control of the HbA1c instrument. Results Of the 211 included participants 97 (46%) were > 50 years old. HbA1c was measured for the 47 participants (22%) with high risk. Thirty-two (15%) had HbA1c values < 5.7%, twelve (5.4%) had values between 5.7%—6.4%, and three (1.4%) had an HbA1c ≥ 6.5%. Two participants with HbA1 ≥ 6.5% were diagnosed with diabetes by their general practitioner. The third was lost to follow-up. Results from internal and external quality control for HbA1c were within set limits. Conclusion The pharmacists were able to perform the risk assessment and measurement of HbA1c, and pharmacy customers were willing to participate. The HbA1c measurements fulfilled the requirements for analytical quality. Thus, it is feasible to implement this service in community pharmacies in Norway. In a large-scale study the inclusion criteria should be increased to 45 years in accordance with the population the risk test has been validated for.

Quality Control of Norwegian Pharmacy HbA1c Testing: A Modest Beginning:

Background: Many pharmacy services involve laboratory testing using point-of-care (POC) instruments. Our aim was to describe the implementation of quality control of the HbA1c POC instruments and investigate the performance in internal quality control (IQC) and external quality control (EQA) for HbA1c POC instruments in Norwegian community pharmacies. Methods: Two project pharmacists from each of 11 pharmacies participated in a training program covering capillary blood sampling, how to use the POC HbA1c instrument (DCA Vantage) and IQC and EQA. The pharmacies were enrolled in an EQA program for HbA1c, and their performance was compared with that of general practitioners’ (GP) offices. Results: Two of 89 (2.2%) IQC measurements were outside the acceptance interval. Seven out of 11 pharmacies sent in results in EQA in all the three surveys during six months. Two pharmacies did not analyze the control material in any of the surveys, one pharmacy analyzed the control material in one of the surveys, and one pharmacy analyzed two of the surveys. Of these pharmacies, 56-100% obtained “very good” evaluation for trueness and 71-100% obtained “very good” evaluation for precision. The corresponding numbers for GP offices were 75-87% for trueness and 84-94% for precision. No pharmacies obtained a “poor” evaluation. Conclusions: Norwegian community pharmacies can perform IQC and EQA on a HbA1c POC instrument, and the performance is comparable with that of GP offices. The compliance in the EQA surveys was modest, but the duration of the study and participation in the EQA program was probably too short to implement all the new procedures for all pharmacies.

Dental providers and pharmacists: a call for enhanced interprofessional collaboration

Reports concerning medication discrepancies in dental records indicate that the concept of interprofessional collaboration between the dental team and pharmacists should be considered at all educational levels in dentistry and pharmacy. Inclusion of oral health as a therapeutic area in didactic pharmacy curricula is needed. Early exposure of dental students and student pharmacists to collaborative practices through interprofessional educational experiences may create a higher degree of awareness of the role of each profession and the potential to improve patient outcomes. Furthermore, efforts are needed to develop a systematic approach for medication review and reconciliation in dental practice to obtain accurate medication lists, potentially by utilising health information technology.

Perception of the Professional Knowledge of and Education on the Medical Technology Products among the Pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic Countries—A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study

With increased development of medical technology (MT), new challenges emerge related to education and training of pharmacists and other healthcare specialists. Currently, only a few universities in the EU promote MT education and research. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the current status, views on, and need for the education on MT for the pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic countries. Methods: The representatives of higher education institutions and community/hospital pharmacists from six Baltic and Nordic countries participated in a qualitative cross-sectional exploratory internet-based study from May to October 2014. Results: Approximately two-third of the respondents considered professional knowledge about MT products important for pharmacists, but half of them had never participated in any MT courses. More practicing pharmacists than representatives of academia underlined the need for increased MT education for pharmacy students in the future. Conclusions: The pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic countries consider the professional knowledge about MT as pertinent in their education and work. The limited number and status of MT courses available today, however, is a major concern among both pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists in these countries. In the future, increasing education combining theory and practice about MT products would be one possible solution to overcome this challenge.

Fylkesvise forskjeller i salg av blodglukosestrimler og antidiabetika

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that the prevalence of diabetes in Norway is 3-5 %, and that approximately 97,000 Norwegian patients perform self-monitoring of blood glucose. There is a need for studies of geographical differences in diabetes prevalence and treatment. This study investigates differences between counties in the prevalence of patients treated with antidiabetics in Norway, and in the use of glucometer strips. MATERIAL AND METHOD Data on the sale of antidiabetes medication to non-institutionalized patients were acquired from the Norwegian Register of Prescriptions, while corresponding data on glucometer strips were received from the Norwegian Health Economics Administration (HELFO). RESULTS We found a nationwide prevalence of medicinally treated diabetes of 2.9 %. The corresponding prevalence of use of glucometer strips was 2.1 %. There was a 27.5 % difference between the counties with the highest and lowest prevalence of medicinally treated diabetes, while the difference in use of glucometer strips was 31.5 %. The average cost of antidiabetes drugs was 23.7 % higher in the county with the highest average expenditure compared with the county with the lowest expenditure. There was a difference of up to 44 % between counties in the average purchase of glucometer strips per person. INTERPRETATION The geographical differences may be due to different availability of health services or different therapy traditions. A shortage of guidelines on the frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose may also have a bearing on the differences.