Abstract

SANCHEZ SANTANA, Lizeth; AGUIRRE ARAGON, Cristina  and  RAMOS TITUANA, Edison. Comparison of therapeutic inertia in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among primary care physicians and endocrinologists. RCTU [online]. 2022, vol.9, n.2, pp.75-84. ISSN 1390-7697.  https://doi.org/10.26423/rctu.v9i2.663.

Good early glycemic control leads to better clinical outcomes, including a reduction in long-term microvascular complications. However, there has been no improvement in achieving glycosylated hemoglobin targets over the past decade globally. A causal factor is therapeutic inertia, defined as a delay in initiating or intensifying therapy when glycemic treatment goals have not been met. The objective of this study was to compare therapeutic inertia in type 2 diabetes mellitus among primary care physicians and endocrinologists, as well as identify opportunities to strengthen diabetes care in primary care. The method used was descriptive, a theoretical review with a bibliographic documentary approach, by searching the PubMed electronic database. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used for bibliography eligibility; in the end, a total of 45 publications that met the selection criteria were analyzed. The results show that late intensification of treatment is not observed exclusively in primary care but also in the setting of diabetes specialists. It is concluded that new educational strategies are needed to help clinicians timely intensify treatment when glycemic targets are not met to prevent disease progression.

Keywords : Glycemic control; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Endocrinologists; Glycosylated hemoglobin; primary care physician.

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