Prevalence and predictors of clinical inertia in patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with a single oral antidiabetic drug

Abstract Aims/Introduction Clinical inertia, defined as a failure of healthcare providers to initiate or intensify treatment when indicated, is one of the challenges in achieving glycemic targets in type 2 diabetes patients. Materials and Methods Using a Japanese medical database compiled from Diagnostic Procedure Combination hospitals, this retrospective study investigated clinical inertia in type 2 diabetes patients treated with a single oral antidiabetic drug. We analyzed predictors of clinical inertia, measured the time to treatment intensification, and monitored patients' glycemic control and renal function for 2 years. The index date was defined as the first date of hemoglobin A1c ≥7.0% during the 180 (±60) days after the first oral antidiabetic drug was prescribed. Results Clinical inertia was identified in 35.3% of patients. The median time to treatment intensification from the index date was 75.5 days. The proportion of patients achieving hemoglobin A1c