Resources

We were following up with a person with type 2 diabetes who was recently started on the new oral formulation of the GLP-1 receptor agonists semaglutide (Rybelsus®). This patient had a 12-year history of type 2 diabetes as well as several comorbidities that included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity (BMI = 33 kg/m2), knee osteoarthritis, and hypothyroidism. The patient was previously resistant to initiating a GLP-1 receptor agonist due to his hesitancy toward self-injection. He agreed at his last primary care visit to start a trial of oral semaglutide to improve his glucose control and lose some weight....

Overview of new technologies and their role, as well as challenges they bring. 

In the last four issues, we discussed a new software that can go through over 6 million possible treatments using anywhere from 1 to 5 drugs for an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes. Along with determining the best treatment for the patient, it includes the ability to put in what the patient can afford in their budget. Dr. John Interlandi, one of our readers, has submitted a counterpoint to using this software to decide the best treatment options. Dr. Interlandi shares his concerns about the use of AI in medical decision making.  

People with diabetes and Covid-19 have a greater chance of developing severe viral illness, and five times the risk of dying, vs those without diabetes.

Part 4: Using Computers to Determine Type 2 Treatment: The first three articles in this series focused on what makes treating type 2 diabetes so difficult: the overwhelming number of medicines and combinations; finding effective treatments that work with our patients' insurance coverage and household budgets; and incorporating factors beyond glucose control, such as body weight, adherence, and side effects, into our decisions. In this installment, we discuss how those problems can be represented in ways that computers can understand.

By Sheri Colberg, PhD
Keeping your balance is essential for staying on your feet and preventing falls as you age, even if you can't leave the house much currently. In truth, many falls happen at home, so there's no time like the present to start improving your balance with these easy balance exercises.

A middle-aged woman, with mild obesity and type 2 diabetes, was hospitalized in the ICU, and the order on her chart was documented "Lispro 90 units at HS," then the "9" was crossed off and a "6" written above it....

Part 3: Trade Offs — Clinical Decision Making for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: In the previous series of articles, we discussed the complexity of clinical decision making and the role the cost plays into that decision. Cost is only one dimension of the complex process of deciding the appropriate next steps in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In this article, we will discuss the other aspects of clinical decision making, and how clinicians can think about the trade-offs involved in making medication choices.

Costs vs. Outcomes for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: The issue of cost in healthcare is a central point in the discussion of the future of medicine. While much is made of the cost of end-of-life care, many of the dollars spent yearly are focused on the treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes. The estimated yearly cost of diabetes care was $245 billion in the U.S. in 2012, the last year for which numbers have been reported. $50 billion of that was related to prescription drug purchases.

Part 1 of a series on a framework developed by Dr. Bradley Eilerman and Len Testa for recommending medications for treating patients with type 2 diabetes.

A thousand times today, in offices all over America, hospital patients will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. When that happens, a healthcare provider has to make a treatment decision of enormous complexity, often with partial information to go on, and in the span of just a few minutes.