Adherence
COVID-19 lockdown restrictions caused a 19% reduction in new diabetes medication prescribing and a 22% reduction in new antihypertensive prescribing, while repeat prescribing remained stable.
If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes or high blood pressure recently, do not assume your care has paused. The study shows a significant drop in new prescriptions during lockdowns. Contact your provider to discuss starting necessary medications, potentially using remote monitoring to bypass the need for immediate in-person visits.
Overall, between March and December 2020, the rate of prescribing new diabetes medications fell by 19% (95% CI: 15% to 22%) and new antihypertensive medication prescribing fell by 22% (95% CI: 18% to 26%)... When considering both new prescribing and repeat prescribing combined, there was no significant change
Why this rating
Large-scale cohort study with robust statistical modeling.
Source
Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on diabetes health checks and prescribing for people with type 2 diabetes: a UK-wide cohort study involving 618 161 people in primary care
Matthew Carr et al. · BMJ Quality & Safety · 2021
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