Glucagon prescriptions for diabetes patients after emergency department visits for hypoglycemia

Abstract

Objective: To determine the proportion of prescription fills for glucagon within 90 days of an emergency department (ED) visit for hypoglycemia. Methods: This was a retrospective research study of glucagon prescriptions filled after an ED visit for hypoglycemia (from January 2011 to June 2014) by people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) taking insulin who did not already have an unexpired glucagon prescription within the Truven Health MarketScan® Research Database. Results: Less than 10% (T1D: 10.9%; T2D: 3.5%) filled a glucagon prescription after the ED visit. Conclusion: A substantial opportunity exists to improve care for at-risk patients with diabetes through a more consistent provision of glucagon, perhaps through the implementation of a quality metric.