Quality of care and prescription patterns among patients with diabetic kidney disease—a large-scale cohort study from Taiwanese clinics

Abstract

Aims To investigate the quality of care and prescription patterns of patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) receiving primary care at local clinics in Taiwan. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted in 43 primary care clinics in Taiwan. The patients’ baseline characteristics, laboratory tests, presence of complications and antidiabetic agents prescribed were analyzed. Results 7,200 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled. Percentage of HbA1c, blood pressure (BP), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals reached were 52.5% in HbA1c < 7%, 40.9% in BP < 130/80 mmHg and 79.7% in LDL-C < 2.59 mmol/L. 18.3% achieved all three ABC goals. However, patients with DKD had a lower rate of ABC goal attainment and higher rate of complications. Among DKD patients with eGFR ≥ 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 and on monotherapy, metformin was most frequently prescribed. As for dual therapy, the most common combinations were metformin with sulfonylurea and metformin with DPP-4 inhibitors. Conclusions Diabetes patients in Taiwan receiving primary diabetes care at local clinics had generally satisfactory management performance. However, more aggressive HbA1c, BP, and LDL-C management among DKD patients should be emphasized. Contrary to current recommendations, SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists as frontline therapy were under-prescribed.