Hypoglycemia Prevention in High-Risk Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Overview

Severe low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is a serious problem for people with diabetes. It can lead to dangerous falls, heart problems, memory issues, and even death. However, many healthcare providers don't recognize or manage this problem well. The investigators believe that creating a clear set of guidelines for preventing hypoglycemia, along with having a clinical pharmacist actively help high-risk patients, can make diabetes treatment safer. In this study, the investigators developed a simple, evidence-based guide called "Hypoglycemia on a Page" (HOAP) to prevent low blood sugars. The investigators then tested it by comparing two groups of patients with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for hypoglycemia. One group received active support from a clinical pharmacist using the HOAP guidelines, while the other group received standard care. The main goal of this study is to see if the pharmacist's support leads to safer diabetes treatment. The investigators will also look at other factors, such as whether patients are prescribed glucagon (a medicine for severe low blood sugar), if they use continuous glucose monitoring, and whether they have worse blood sugar control or end up in the hospital for hypoglycemia. This trial aims to improve patient safety, health outcomes, and possibly lower healthcare costs.

The primary research question is whether using a "Hypoglycemia Champion" (HC) to target high risk patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a feasible and effective model of care to reduce hypoglycemia risk in this population. The goals of this study are to: 1. Develop an evidence-based, expert consensus clinical guideline, "Hypoglycemia on a Page" (HOAP), for hypoglycemia prevention in patients with T2D at high risk of hypoglycemia. Guideline development will include stakeholders across multiple Kaiser Permanente regions. 2. Develop a workflow for use by a "Hypoglycemia Champion" (HC), a clinical pharmacist who will apply the HOAP guideline in the proactive, protocol-driven management of Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) members identified as having high hypoglycemic risk; 3. Conduct a pragmatic, randomized trial of the proactive HC intervention vs. usual care on diabetes regimen safety among KPNC members at high risk of hypoglycemia. The investigators hypothesize that at 6 months, high-risk members assigned to the HC intervention will be prescribed safer diabetes regimens (defined as discontinuation of sulfonylureas and/or rapid-/short-acting or mixed insulins) compared to usual care. The study design will include: 1) Engaging expert clinical stakeholders and experienced KP guideline developers to create an evidence-based hypoglycemia prevention algorithm (HOAP) analogous to KPNC's successful "PHASE on a Page" guideline for cardiovascular risk management; 2) Crafting a population-based workflow protocol for proactive outreach by the HC (specifically trained clinical pharmacist) to apply this new guideline to high-risk members; and 3) Performing a pragmatic randomized trial comparing proximal clinical outcomes (diabetes medication changes) available directly from the EHR between the intervention arm (pro-active outreach by the HC) vs. controls (usual care, including availability of the HOAP). The primary analysis will be intent-to-treat and will assess differences in the proportion of patients using safer diabetes regimens (relative to their baseline regimen) between study arms. The investigators will also examine heterogeneity of treatment effects by age, race/ethnicity, and prior severe hypoglycemia events. Deliverables include: 1) Inter-regional dissemination of the HOAP algorithm and the HC workflow protocol, 2) High quality, pragmatic RCT results to inform operational decision-making, and 3) Presentations and manuscripts to further disseminate findings. This study is highly relevant to TPMG and KP because: 1) Hypoglycemia is common, morbid, and costly, 2) Providers are challenged to address the competing demands of prescribing diabetes medications to meet glycemic targets while avoiding iatrogenic hypoglycemia, 3) No regional strategies currently exist to reduce hypoglycemia risk. This work has strategic implications for our organization because a new HEDIS measure proposed for measurement year 2023 will assess emergency department admissions for hypoglycemia in older adults with diabetes. Our proposal will address this gap in organizational clinical care by developing and evaluating a practical, proactive, population management approach to hypoglycemia prevention for members with T2D at high risk of hypoglycemia.