Aims
Overprescribing is common in older adults with diabetes, potentially leading to hospitalisation and reduced quality of life. Additionally, diabetes care in older adults is often complicated by multiple interacting conditions and cognitive impairment, resulting in challenging self-management. Although evidence suggests that de-intensification of medications is safe in older adults, there are no data evaluating glucose ranges during this process.
Methods
eDMED is a 12-week feasibility study including 49 adults, aged ≥ 65 years with type 2 diabetes and residing in care homes. All eligible participants will receive medication de-intensification and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Primary healthcare professionals (HCPs) will undergo structured training on a de-intensification algorithm and CGM, while care home staff will receive tailored education on diabetes management and CGM application to ensure safe and effective implementation.
Planned Outcomes
The primary outcome is the percentage of participants achieving a composite of > 50% time in range and < 1% time below range at 12 weeks, measured via CGM. Secondary outcomes include trends in time above and below range (quantified by level of hyper- or hypoglycaemia), change in quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), percentage of data captured to indicate adherence to the CGM and the acceptability of the intervention to participants, their consultees and carers (Theoretical Framework of Acceptability questionnaire).
Trial Registration
International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ID: ISRCTN 69024008).
