Comparison of compliance and outcomes in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus attending a co-located pediatric and transition diabetes service

Abstract

Objectives Adolescence is a challenging period for diabetes management, particularly when transitioning to adult care. There are reports highlighting concerns that transition to adult care may lead to poor glycemic control and clinic engagement. Our aim was to determine if a co-located pediatric and transition diabetes service would lead to better transition outcomes. Methods A retrospective medical records review was conducted on patients with type 1 diabetes attending a transition clinic in a metropolitan teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia. Patients referred from the hospital’s co-located pediatric diabetes clinic to the transition clinic were compared to those referred from external sources regarding important clinical outcomes such as glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), clinic attendances, and complication rates between referral sources. Confounders such as age, gender, duration of diabetes and socioeconomic status were considered. Results Data was collected from 356 patients of which 121 patients were referred from the co-located pediatric diabetes clinic (IRG) and 235 patients from external sources (ERG). Improvements in HbA1c were only seen in the ERG at 6 and 12 months (p<0.001). Altogether 93% attended one or more medical appointments in the IRG compared to 83% in the ERG (p=0.03). There were more admissions for acute diabetes complications (17 vs. 8%, p=0.01) and more microvascular complications (20 vs. 9%, p<0.01) in the IRG vs. ERG group. Conclusions Although co-location of a pediatric and transition clinic improved medical engagement, this did not equate to better glycemic control or complication rates. Further research is warranted to determine what other strategies are required to optimise the transition process in diabetes care.