People with type 2 diabetes and screen-detected cognitive impairment use acute health care services more often: Observations from the COG-ID study

Jolien Janssen*, Paula S. Koekkoek, Geert Jan Biessels, L. Jaap Kappelle, Guy E.H.M. Rutten, Minke Kooistra, Esther Van Den Berg,

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of cognitive impairment which can lead to impaired diabetes self-management and an increased risk of diabetes-related complications. Routine screening for cognitive impairment in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes is therefore increasingly advocated. The aim of this study is to investigate whether people with type 2 diabetes and screen-detected cognitive impairment use acute health care services more often than patients not suspected of cognitive impairment. Methods: People with type 2 diabetes ≥ 70 years were screened for cognitive impairment in primary care. Diagnoses in screen positives were established at a memory clinic. Information about acute health care use was collected for 2 years prior to and 2 years after screening and compared to screen negatives. Results: 154 participants (38% female, mean age 76.7 ± 5.2 years, diabetes duration 8.7 ± 8.2 years) were included, 37 patients with cognitive impairment, 117 screen negatives. A higher percentage of participants with cognitive impairment compared to screen negative patients used acute health care services; this difference was significant for general practitioner's out of hours services (56% versus 34% used this service over 4 years, p = 0.02). The mean number of acute health care visits was also higher in those with cognitive impairment than in screen negatives (2.2 ± 2.8 versus 1.4 ± 2.2 visits in 4 years, p < 0.05; 1.4 ± 2.2 versus 0.7 ± 1.5 visits in 2 years after screening, p = 0.03). Factors that could have played a role in this increased risk of acute health care services use were a low educational level, the presence of depressive symptoms (CES-D score ≥ 16), self-reported problems in self-care and self-reported problems in usual activities. Conclusions: People with type 2 diabetes and screen-detected cognitive impairment use acute health care services more often.

Original languageEnglish
Article number21
JournalDiabetology & Metabolic Syndrome [E]
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Feb 2019

Keywords

  • Acute health care services
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Diabetes
  • Falls
  • General practice
  • Screening

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'People with type 2 diabetes and screen-detected cognitive impairment use acute health care services more often: Observations from the COG-ID study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this