Endocrinol Metab.  2019 Sep;34(3):282-290. 10.3803/EnM.2019.34.3.282.

Current Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Care Clinics in Korea

• Seo DH
• Kang S
• Lee YH
• Ha JY
• Park JS
• Lee BW
• Kang ES
• Ahn CW
• Cha BS

• KMID: 2458631
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2019.34.3.282

Abstract

BACKGROUND
This study investigated the overall status of diabetes control and screening for diabetic microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending primary care clinics in Korea.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional observational study, 191 primary care clinics were randomly selected across Korea from 2015 to 2016. In total, 3,227 subjects were enrolled in the study.
RESULTS
The patients followed at the primary care clinics were relatively young, with a mean age of 61.4±11.7 years, and had a relatively short duration of diabetes (mean duration, 7.6±6.5 years). Approximately 14% of subjects had diabetic microvascular complications. However, the patients treated at the primary care clinics had suboptimal control of hemoglobin A1c levels, blood pressure, and serum lipid levels, along with a metabolic target achievement rate of 5.9% according to the Korean Diabetes Association guidelines. The screening rates for diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy within the past 12 months were 28.4%, 23.3%, and 13.3%, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The overall status of diabetes management, including the frequency of screening for microvascular complications, was suboptimal in the primary care clinics. More efforts should be made and more resources need to be allocated for primary care physicians to promote adequate healthcare delivery, which would result in stricter diabetes control and improved management of diabetic complications.

Keyword

Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Diabetes complications; Prevention and control; Primary health care; Tertiary care centers

MeSH Terms

Blood Pressure
Delivery of Health Care
Diabetes Complications
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2*
Diabetic Nephropathies
Humans
Korea*
Mass Screening
Observational Study
Physicians, Primary Care
Primary Health Care*
Tertiary Care Centers

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Flowchart of the patients enrolled in the study.

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of the screening done for microvascular complications at primary care clinics versus the tertiary hospitals. aReferral for screening tests within 24 months.

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