Knowledge and prescribing behaviour of Flemish general practitioners regarding novel glucose-lowering medications: Online cross-sectional survey

Jun 11, 2024Primary care diabetes

Flemish General Practitioners’ Knowledge and Use of New Diabetes Medicines

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Abstract

The mean score on the knowledge questionnaire among 201 general practitioners was 7.15 out of 15 (48%).

90% of general practitioners correctly recommended a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor for a patient with heart failure.
Only 42% suggested a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist for a patient with cardiovascular disease.
23% of respondents indicated they would prescribe medications that did not align with reimbursement criteria in clinical scenarios.
No statistically significant demographic differences were found in test results among participants.

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AIMS: To determine the knowledge and prescribing behaviour regarding new type 2 diabetes medication in general practice. Physicians in Belgium are bound by the prescription criteria which do not always correspond to the international guidelines.

DESIGN & METHOD: A mixed methods study with an online questionnaire was conducted in Flanders to collect data on demographic characteristics, theoretical knowledge, and prescribing behaviour, using ten theoretical questions and six clinical cases, based on the American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (ADA/EASD) guidelines and the Belgian reimbursement criteria.

RESULTS: 201 GPs and GPs in training were included in this study with a median age of 30 years and 68 % female participants. On the knowledge questionnaire, the mean test result was 7.15/15 (= 48 %) with a median of 8. Further analysis showed that 90 % of the respondents correctly recommended a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (sglt2) inhibitor when the clinical case showed a comorbidity of heart failure, whereas only 42 % suggested correctly a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist if presence of cardiovascular disease. Subgroup analysis showed no statistically significant demographic differences in obtained test results. Regarding prescription behaviour, 23 % of the respondents would prescribe medication that did not match the reimbursement criteria in at least one of the 6 proposed clinical cases.

CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need for enhanced knowledge and updated prescribing practices among Flemish GPs and Trainee GPs to effectively manage patients with T2DM.

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Knowledge and prescribing behaviour of Flemish general practitioners regarding novel glucose-lowering medications: Online cross-sectional survey

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