Reducing economic burden through split-shared care model for people living with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and polypharmacy: a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional collaborative care such as a split-shared care model involving family physicians and community pharmacists can reduce the economic burden of diabetes management. This study aimed to evaluate the economic outcome of a split-shared care model between family physicians and community pharmacists within a pharmacy chain in managing people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and polypharmacy. METHOD: This was a multi-center, parallel arm, open label, randomized controlled trial comparing the direct and indirect economic outcomes of people who received collaborative care involving community pharmacists (intervention) versus those who received usual care without community pharmacist involvement (control). People with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, defined as HbA1c > 7.0% and taking ≥ 5 chronic medications were included while people with missing baseline economic data (such as consultation costs, medication costs) were excluded. Direct medical costs were extracted from the institution's financial database while indirect costs were calculated from self-reported gross income and productivity loss, using Work Productivity Activity Impairment Global Health questionnaire. Separate generalized linear models with log link function and gamma distribution were used to analyze changes in direct and indirect medical costs. RESULTS: A total of 175 patients (intervention = 70, control = 105) completed the trial and were included for analysis. The mean age of the participants was 66.9 (9.2) years, with majority being male and Chinese. The direct medical costs were significantly lower in the intervention than the control group over 6 months (intervention: -US$70.51, control: -US$47.66, p < 0.001). Medication cost was the main driver in both groups. There were no significant changes in productivity loss and indirect costs in both groups. CONCLUSION: Implementation of split-shared visits with frontline community partners may reduce economic burden for patient with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and polypharmacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Reference Number: NCT03531944 (Date of registration: June 6, 2018).

BREAst screening Tailored for HEr (BREATHE)-A study protocol on personalised risk-based breast cancer screening programme.

Routine mammography screening is currently the standard tool for finding cancers at an early stage, when treatment is most successful. Current breast screening programmes are one-size-fits-all which all women above a certain age threshold are encouraged to participate. However, breast cancer risk varies by individual. The BREAst screening Tailored for HEr (BREATHE) study aims to assess acceptability of a comprehensive risk-based personalised breast screening in Singapore. Advancing beyond the current age-based screening paradigm, BREATHE integrates both genetic and non-genetic breast cancer risk prediction tools to personalise screening recommendations. BREATHE is a cohort study targeting to recruit ~3,500 women. The first recruitment visit will include questionnaires and a buccal cheek swab. After receiving a tailored breast cancer risk report, participants will attend an in-person risk review, followed by a final session assessing the acceptability of our risk stratification programme. Risk prediction is based on: a) Gail model (non-genetic), b) mammographic density and recall, c) BOADICEA predictions (breast cancer predisposition genes), and d) breast cancer polygenic risk score. For national implementation of personalised risk-based breast screening, exploration of the acceptability within the target populace is critical, in addition to validated predication tools. To our knowledge, this is the first study to implement a comprehensive risk-based mammography screening programme in Asia. The BREATHE study will provide essential data for policy implementation which will transform the health system to deliver a better health and healthcare outcomes.

Enhancing diabetes care with community pharmacist-involved collaborative care model: A multi-centre randomised controlled trial.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical and humanistic outcomes of a community pharmacist-involved collaborative care model in diabetes management. METHODS: This was a parallel arm, open-label, multi-centre randomized controlled trial conducted over 6 months. Subjects with type 2 diabetes, HbA1c ≥ 7.0% (53 mmol/mol) and taking ≥ 5 medications were included. Participants were randomized into intervention (collaborative care) and control groups (physician-centric care). The intervention included medication therapy management and telephonic follow-up with visits to family physicians, nurses, and dietitians. Clinical outcomes included changes in HbA1c, systolic blood pressure (SBP), lipids, and hypoglycaemic incidences. Humanistic outcomes included self-care capabilities and quality of life. Linear mixed models were constructed. Intention-to-treat analyses, with sensitivity analyses, were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 264 participants were randomized (intervention: 131, control: 133). Significantly greater reduction in HbA1c was observed in the intervention group (intervention: -0.32% (-3.52 mmol/mol) vs. control: -0.06% (-0.66 mmol/mol), p = 0.038). Changes in SBP, lipids, and incidences of hypoglycaemia were not significant over 6 months between both groups. Significantly greater improvements in self-management (p < 0.001) and quality of life (p = 0.003) were observed within the intervention group. CONCLUSION: Partnering community pharmacists in a collaborative care team improved glycaemic control, quality of life and self-care capabilities of patients with diabetes and polypharmacy.

Possible Sarcopenia and Impact of Dual-Task Exercise on Gait Speed, Handgrip Strength, Falls, and Perceived Health.

Background: Sarcopenia is defined as a progressive age-related loss in muscle mass and strength affecting physical performance. It is associated with many negative outcomes including falls, disability, cognitive decline, and mortality. Protein enriched diet and resistance training have shown to improve muscle strength and function but there is limited evidence on impact of dual-task exercise in possible sarcopenia. Objective: To evaluate impact of community-based dual-task exercise on muscle strength and physical function in possible sarcopenia defined by either slow gait (SG) or poor handgrip strength (HGS). The secondary aims include effect on cognition, frailty, falls, social isolation, and perceived health. Methods: Community-dwelling older adults ≥60 years old were recruited from screening program intended to identify seniors at risk, and invited to participate in dual-task exercise program called HAPPY (Healthy Aging Promotion Program for You). One hundred and eleven participants with possible sarcopenia completed 3 months follow-up. Questionnaire was administered on demographics, frailty, sarcopenia, falls, perceived health, social network, functional, and cognitive status. Physical performance included assessment of HGS, gait speed, and Short Physical Performance Battery test (SPPB). Results: The mean age of the Exercise group was 75.9 years old and 73.0% were women. The Exercise group had more female (73.0 vs. 47.5%), were older (75.9 vs. 72.5 years old), had higher prevalence of falls (32.4 vs. 15.0%), lower BMI (23.7 vs. 25.8), and education (4.0 vs. 7.2 years). The gait speed of the Exercise group increased significantly with significant reduction in the prevalence of SG and poor HGS. All components of SPPB as well as the total score increased significantly while the prevalence of pre-frailty and falls dropped by half. The risk of social isolation reduced by 25% with significant improvement in perceived health and cognition in the Exercise group. Significant impact on improvement gait speed and SPPB persisted after adjustment for baseline factors. Conclusion: Dual-task exercise program is effective in improving gait speed, SPPB score, and reducing the prevalence of poor HGS with significant improvement in perceived health, cognition, and reduction in falls and frailty. Future prospective randomized control trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of dual-task interventions in reversing sarcopenia.

Motoric cognitive risk syndrome, physio-cognitive decline syndrome, cognitive frailty and reversibility with dual-task exercise.

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive frailty (CF) is associated with dementia and disability. It was initially proposed in 2013 by the International Institute of Nutrition and Aging and the International Geriatrics Association. Over the years, there have been many emerging definitions e.g., Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome (MCR), Physio-cognitive Decline Syndrome (PCDS), reversible CF and potentially reversible CF. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the demographics including physical, functional, and psychosocial factors for the four CF definitions amongst community-dwelling older adults. In addition, the effect of dual-task exercise on the reversibility of different definitions of CF was also studied. METHODS: Participants were community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years recruited between August 2017 and December 2019. Older adults screened to be frail, prefrail or have cognitive impairment were invited to participate in dual-task exercise program called HAPPY (Healthy Ageing Promotion Program for You). Improvement in cognition, frailty, and physical performance after a 3-month dual-task exercise intervention program was compared with controls. RESULTS: The prevalence of CF depending on definition ranged from 8.8% to 28.7% with minimal overlap. The cognitive scores were significantly lower in all the groups predominantly affecting non-memory domains except for reversible CF. Frailty was three to seven times more prevalent in CF. MCR group had higher prevalence of functional limitation, pain and depression. All four groups had significant increase in global cognition scores especially in the attention domain where the control group declined, and reduction in the prevalence of frailty post intervention. MCR and reversible CF were significantly associated with increased odds of cognitive improvement after 3 months of intervention compared with control. CONCLUSION: CF is a novel concept and regardless of the definitions, is a target for reversing frailty, functional limitation and cognitive impairment through dual-task exercise. Long-term prospective studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of dual-task interventions in delaying the conversion to dementia and reduction of disability.

Relationship of Fat Mass Index and Fat Free Mass Index With Body Mass Index and Association With Function, Cognition and Sarcopenia in Pre-Frail Older Adults.

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is an inadequate marker of obesity, and cannot distinguish between fat mass, fat free mass and distribution of adipose tissue. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, to assess cross-sectional relationship of BMI with fat mass index (FMI), fat free mass index (FFMI) and ratio of fat mass to fat free mass (FM/FFM). Second, to study the association of FMI, FFMI and FM/FFM with physical function including sarcopenia, and cognition in pre-frail older adults. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 191 pre-frail participants ≥ 65 years, 57.1% females. Data was collected on demographics, cognition [Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)], function, frailty, calf circumference, handgrip strength (HGS), short physical performance battery (SPPB) and gait speed. Body composition was measured using InBody S10. FMI, FFMI and FM/FFM were classified into tertiles (T1, T2, T3) with T1 classified as lowest and T3 highest tertile respectively and stratified by BMI. Results: Higher FFMI and lower FM/FFM in the high BMI group were associated with better functional outcomes. Prevalence of low muscle mass was higher in the normal BMI group. FMI and FM/FFM were significantly higher in females and FFMI in males with significant gender differences except for FFMI in ≥ 80 years old. Small calf circumference was significantly less prevalent in the highest tertile of FMI, FM/FMI and FFMI. Prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and low physical function (HGS, gait speed and SPPB scores) were significantly higher in the highest FMI and FM/FFM tertile. Highest FFMI tertile group had higher physical function, higher MoCA scores, lower prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and sarcopenia, After adjustment, highest tertile of FFMI was associated with lower odds of sarcopenia especially in the high BMI group. Highest tertile of FM/FFM was associated with higher odds of sarcopenia. Higher BMI was associated with lower odds of sarcopenia. Conclusion: FFMI and FM/FFM may be a better predictor of functional outcomes in pre-frail older adults than BMI. Cut-off values for healthy BMI values and role of calf circumference as a screening tool for sarcopenia need to be validated in larger population. Health promotion intervention should focus on FFMI increment.

Rapid Geriatric Assessment Using Mobile App in Primary Care: Prevalence of Geriatric Syndromes and Review of Its Feasibility.

With the aging population and consequent increase in associated prevalence of frailty, dementia, and multimorbidity, primary care physicians will be overwhelmed with the complexity of the psychosocial and clinical presentation. Geriatric syndromes including frailty, sarcopenia, cognitive impairment, and anorexia of aging (AA) either in isolation or in combination are associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes and if recognized early, and appropriately managed, will lead to decreased disability. Primary care practices are often located in residential settings and are in an ideal position to incorporate preventive screening and geriatric assessment with personalized management. However, primary care physicians lack the time, multidisciplinary resources, or skills to conduct geriatric assessment, and the limited number of geriatricians worldwide further complicates the matter. There is no one effective strategy to implement geriatric assessment in primary care which is rapid, cost-effective, and do not require geriatricians. Rapid Geriatric Assessment (RGA) takes <5 min to complete. It screens for frailty, sarcopenia, AA, and cognition with assisted management pathway without the need of a geriatrician. We developed RGA iPad application for screening with assisted management in two primary care practices and explored the feasibility and overall prevalence of frailty, sarcopenia, and AA. The assessment was conducted by trained nurses and coordinators. Among 2,589 older patients ≥65 years old, the prevalence of frailty was 5.9%, pre-frail 31.2%, and robust 62.9%. Fatigue was present in 17.8%, and among them, the prevalence of undiagnosed depression as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 was 76.4% and 13.5% of total. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 15.4%, and 13.9% experienced at least one fall in the past year. AA was prevalent in 10.9%. The time taken to do the assessment with defined algorithm was on average 5 min or less per patient, and 96% managed to complete the assessment prior to seeing their doctor in the same session. The RGA app is a rapid and feasible tool to be used by any healthcare professional in primary care for identification of geriatric syndrome with assisted management.

Efficacy and Safety of Use of the Fasting Algorithm for Singaporeans With Type 2 Diabetes (FAST) During Ramadan: A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of use of the Fasting Algorithm for Singaporeans with Type 2 Diabetes (FAST) during Ramadan. METHODS: We performed a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. The inclusion criteria were age ≥21 years, baseline glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level ≤9.5%, and intention to fast for ≥10 days during Ramadan. Exclusion criteria included baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min, diabetes-related hospitalization, and short-term corticosteroid therapy. Participants were randomized to intervention (use of FAST) or control (usual care without FAST) groups. Efficacy outcomes were HbA1c level and fasting blood glucose and postprandial glucose changes, and the safety outcome was incidence of major or minor hypoglycemia during the Ramadan period. Glycemic variability and diabetes distress were also investigated. Linear mixed models were constructed to assess changes. RESULTS: A total of 97 participants were randomized (intervention: n = 46, control: n = 51). The HbA1c improvement during Ramadan was 4 times greater in the intervention group (-0.4%) than in the control group (-0.1%) (P = .049). The mean fasting blood glucose level decreased in the intervention group (-3.6 mg/dL) and increased in the control group (+20.9 mg/dL) (P = .034). The mean postprandial glucose level showed greater improvement in the intervention group (-16.4 mg/dL) compared to the control group (-2.3 mg/dL). There were more minor hypoglycemic events based on self-monitered blood glucose readings in the control group (intervention: 4, control: 6; P = .744). Glycemic variability was not significantly different between the 2 groups (P = .284). No between-group differences in diabetes distress were observed (P = .479). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the importance of efficacious, safe, and culturally tailored epistemic tools for diabetes management.

Development of a Collaborative Algorithm for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes during Ramadan: An Anchor on Empowerment.

Empowerment plays significant roles in the complex management of type 2 diabetes. International guidelines have provided recommendations on management of Muslims who fast during Ramadan. However, there remains a lack of patient-centered epistemic tool to empower healthcare providers and patients in managing diabetes during Ramadan. This study discussed the development and evaluation of such tool. The collaborative algorithm was developed with reference to the nominal group technique by a board-certified clinical pharmacist and discussed with endocrinologists, nurses, and family physicians. The empowerment component of the algorithm was developed based on the Basic Psychological Needs Theory. The algorithm was evaluated through a randomized controlled trial. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and postprandial glucose (PPG) levels and safety profiles in terms of hypoglycemic events were assessed. The collaborative algorithm was developed with four components: screening, education, dose modification by healthcare provider, and dose adjustment by patient. A total of 62 individuals were recruited, with 30 and 32 randomized into the intervention and control groups, respectively. The mean age was 58.4 years, with majority being females (67.7%). There was a reduction in mean HbA1c from 7.9% ± 0.9% to 7.5% ± 0.8% (P < 0.001) in the intervention group, while no significant difference was observed in the control group (P = 0.270). FPG (P < 0.001) and PPG (P = 0.002) also improved significantly in the intervention group. There were no major hypoglycemic events and minor hypoglycemia comparable between both groups (P = 0.465). The collaborative algorithm incorporated empowerment and promoted shared decision-making in diabetes management, hence promoting safe and effective fasting.