Factors associated with reluctance to initiate or continue oral antihyperglycemic agent (OAHA) treatments in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Japan: An observational patient-reported study.

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is undertreated in Japan. We sought to understand the potential factors associated with reluctance to initiate/continue oral antihyperglycemic agents (OAHA) treatment in Japan.
Methods: A two-phase study was conducted which included cognitive interviews in the first phase (N = 12) to ensure retrieval from memory of relevant information to respond to questions. The second phase included recruitment of respondents from an internet re-contact survey (N = 560) using NHWS or other Lightspeed panels. Patients' self-reported measures were collected to identify the potential barriers to T2DM treatment initiation or continuation. All measured variables were summarized descriptively using means and standard deviations for continuous variables, and frequencies and percentages for categorical variables.
Results: A total of 560 respondents were assessed. Of those who were drug-naïve and ever been recommended prescription medication, only 17.3% were satisfied with how physicians presented the treatment options compared to current users or those who discontinued treatment (47.2% and 47.6% respectively). More than 50% of respondents did not realize neuropathic pain and end organ damage as potential consequences of untreated T2DM. 34.8% and 47.6% of drug-naïve and T2DM respondents who discontinued treatment were likely to start/restart treatment after realizing potential complications. Among those who discontinued treatment, 23.1% were extremely dissatisfied with their dosing frequency and less than 15% reported that their physicians discussed the importance of staying on medication long-term.
Conclusion: The potential barriers addressed in this study should be considered when planning intervention strategies targeted at T2DM patients to promote their treatment in Japan.
(Copyright © 2019 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)