US researchers say bespoke diabetes care could prevent type 2 diabetes overtreatment

Providing individual care and shaking up treatment strategies for people with type 2 diabetes could prevent overtreatment, according to a new US study.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center looked at the best way to avoid over treating someone with type 2 diabetes, which can lead to increased treatment costs and potential harm to patients.
They report that evidence-based medicine (EBM), which is “often derided” in the medical community, was actually a “powerful tool” to treat type 2 diabetes.
EBM helps to inform treatment strategies based on research and also makes use of the doctor’s judgement and the patient’s values. It is also believed that applying this technique could help prevent a lot of wasteful spending.
Anil Makam, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and lead author of the article, said: “Evidence-based medicine is a powerful tool to provide person-centered care to individuals with type 2 diabetes, as well as for patients with other diseases.
“When applied to type 2 diabetes, EBM calls for a paradigm shift in our treatment approach.”
The research team believes that focusing too much on achieving target HbA1c levels can affect the quality of life for some people with type 2 diabetes. Instead, they argue, treatment needs to be tailored – particularly among older and frail individuals – to maximize the benefits of treatment while also minimizing potential harm.
“The review is intended to be a call to action for physicians, medical educators, researchers, and policy leaders to apply EBM principles to individualize treatment decisions and to improve the health and well-being of patients,” said the researchers.
The findings of the report have been published in the journal Circulation.