Changes in Treatment Satisfaction Over 3 Years in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes After Initiating Second-line Treatment

CONTEXT: J-DISCOVER is a prospective observational cohort study aiming to understand the current management of patients with early-stage type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Japan, enrolling patients initiating second-line treatment. OBJECTIVE: The current analysis examined the change in treatment satisfaction during the study period and factors affecting this change among patients in J-DISCOVER. METHODS: We used data from the J-DISCOVER study, in which 1798 patients with T2DM aged ≥ 20 years were enrolled from 142 sites across Japan. Treatment satisfaction was assessed using the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ). RESULTS: The mean DTSQ treatment satisfaction score increased from 25.9 points at baseline to 27.3 points at 6 months, which was maintained through 36 months. Among the baseline characteristics examined, higher baseline DTSQ treatment satisfaction scores (P < 0.0001), older age (≥ 75 vs < 65 years, P = 0.0096), living alone (P = 0.0356), and type of facility (clinics vs hospitals, P = 0.0044) had a significantly negative impact on the changes in DTSQ treatment satisfaction scores. Improvement in mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline (7.7%) to 36 months (7.1%) was associated with positive changes in the DTSQ treatment satisfaction score (P = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: Changes in DTSQ treatment satisfaction scores were related to HbA1c improvement, suggesting that the management strategy was appropriately planned for each patient. The results also suggest that the availability of social support for patients with T2DM who are elderly or living alone may be an important factor affecting treatment satisfaction, adherence, and clinical outcomes.