Missed Opportunities in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a significant health problem around the world. Objective: This review aims to define missed opportunities and how they apply to patients with T2DM. Method: This narrative review describes the natural history of T2DM and also describes where missed opportunities may arise. Results: Missed opportunities may relate to prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes. The cornerstone of T2DM prevention is the control of modifiable risk factors and lifestyle changes to potentially prevent diabetes. Early detection of T2DM is important as it is a chronic condition that can progress rapidly if untreated. Missed opportunities related to the diagnosis of T2DM draw attention to the heterogeneous presentation of diabetes. The condition can be incidentally identified in asymptomatic patients, so all healthcare professionals should be aware of the disease. Furthermore, it is not unexpected that patients with atypical symptoms may have a delay in diagnosis. The treatment-related missed opportunities in T2DM are broad and include self-care, education, remission of T2DM, risk factor management, prevention of complications, medication therapy and compliance, as well as individualized care. Considering patient pathways is a useful approach to evaluate missed opportunities in patient care. Conclusion: Missed opportunities are a concept that is not often considered in diabetes care, which calls upon reflection of real-world activities and consideration of whether patient outcomes could have been improved with changes in decision-making. Future studies that aim to improve patient care should consider this concept.