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.
Abbreviations: DM = diabetes mellitus; ED = emergency department; IQR = interquartile range; T1D = type 1 diabetes; T2D = type 2 diabetes.