Relationship between medication use and non-attendance (missed appointment) from primary care visits among people with type 2 diabetes: The Japan Diabetes Outcome Intervention Trial-2 Large-Scale Trial 006 (J-DOIT2-LT006).

Abstract

Aims/introduction: To clarify the relationship between medication use and primary care visit non-attendance (missed appointment) among people with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and methods: Data of 2,200 patients registered in the Japan Diabetes Outcome Intervention Trial-2 Large-Scale trial were reviewed. The intervention group received multifaceted interventions encouraging regular visits. The hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of oral medications relative to not taking any oral medications were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for district medical association ID, intervention, insulin usage, age, sex, and HbA1c. We also investigated whether the HRs differed based on the oral medication type. Furthermore, we divided the intervention and control groups into four groups based on medication use (taking/not taking oral medications and insulin therapy) and performed survival analysis for each group.

Results: The HRs (95% CI) for oral medication use relative to not taking oral medications and for insulin use relative to not receiving insulin therapy were 0.178 (0.104-0.305) and 0.725 (0.378-1.352), respectively. Regardless of the type of oral medication, non-attendance was lower in the groups taking oral medications. The HRs (95% CI) in the groups taking only oral hypoglycemic agents, only other drugs, and both relative to no oral medication were 0.229 (0.126-0.417), 0.235 (0.112-0.494), and 0.148 (0.084-0.260), respectively. Only in the control group, non-attendance was more frequent with no medications than with oral medications, regardless of insulin (P < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that taking oral medications might be important to prevent non-attendance among people with type 2 diabetes.