Utilization patterns of insulin therapy and healthcare services among Japanese insulin initiators during their first year: a descriptive analysis of administrative hospital data

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes poses an increasing healthcare burden in Japan. Although insulin treatment has diversified in recent years, the literature on the utilization of healthcare services among patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing different insulin therapy regimens is scarce. The current study aimed to characterize the real-world insulin treatment patterns and associated utilization of healthcare services among patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated insulin therapy during the study period. METHODS: We examined data from a hospital-based database consisting of administrative and laboratory data from 121 acute-phase hospitals throughout Japan from April 2008 to August 2012. Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and receiving continuous insulin therapy, defined by three insulin claims or more, were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Of the 2,145 insulin initiators, at initiation 46.5 % received rapid-acting insulin alone, 36.6 % received an intensive regimen, 11.4 % received long-acting insulin alone, and 5.5 % received pre-mixed insulin alone. Patients treated with rapid-acting insulin alone were older, experienced more comorbid conditions, had lower HbA1c, and more often had initiated their insulin treatment at inpatient admission, compared to patients treated with other types of insulin. Inpatient admission was more common and longer for patients taking rapid-acting insulin and an intensive regimen than those taking long-acting or pre-mixed insulin, and most were readmitted within 1 year. Utilization of outpatient clinics was approximately once per month, and emergency department visits were observed to be rare. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective observational descriptive study found varied treatment and healthcare service utilization patterns, as well as disparities in patient characteristics across insulin regimens. Future research should assess the basis for these various utilization patterns associated with insulin to conduct robust analyses of clinical and economic outcomes. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1264-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.