Differences in the prescribing patterns of diabetes medications among primary healthcare centers in Region Uppsala : A cross-sectional register studie

Abstract: Background: Type II diabetes is a common disease worldwide and several drug treatments are available. Some of the more recently approved drugs are DPP4-inhibitors, GLP analogues and SGLT2-inhibitors. Most of the Type II diabetes drugs (T2DMD) are prescribed by primary care physicians. To ensure rational drug use it is important to follow up prescribing patterns to design strategies and interventions that can improve drug treatment, since consequences of inappropriate drug use might be poor health outcomes and increased health costs. Aim: To study differences in the prescribing pattern of T2DMD among primary healthcare centres (PHC) at a macro level in Region Uppsala. Method: A cross-sectional study based on data collected from Region Uppsala’s data register. Data consisted of individuals over 25 years of age with at least one prescription of a diabetes drug from the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) group A10 prescribed within the period of January 2018 to June 2020. Results: There is a moderate difference in the prescribing patterns of T2DMD among different PHCs in Region Uppsala. Overall, a larger proportion of oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD) were prescribed compared to Insulins. Most PHC prescribed a larger proportion of long acting insulins than other Insulins. Among OAD, a larger proportion of Biguanide derivative where prescribed. DPP-4 inhibitors, Sulphonylureas and SGLT2-inhibitors were prescribed to almost the same extent. Conclusion: Overall, there is a minor difference in the prescribing patterns of T2DMD among different PHCs in Region Uppsala during the study period. Lately, prescribing of DPP4-inhibitors, SGLT2-inhibitors and long acting insulins have increased.