Improving Kidney Care in Type 2 Diabetes: A Study of Pharmacist Prescribing Versus Usual Care

Conditions studied

Diabetic Kidney Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Chronic Kidney Disease

About this study

Type 2 diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease, which can result in serious complications such as kidney failure and heart disease. Although effective medications exist to slow the progression of kidney damage, they are often underused in primary care, particularly for individuals without a regular family doctor. In response to this gap, 46 community pharmacy-led primary care clinics were launched across Nova Scotia in 2023 to serve under-resourced areas. Pharmacists at these clinics can prescribe for many chronic conditions, but currently not for diabetic kidney disease. To address this, the research team collaborated with kidney, diabetes, and primary care experts, patient partners and regulatory bodies to develop and validate step-by-step prescribing guide (called algorithms) that support pharmacists in identifying and managing diabetic kidney disease. All medications included are approved, publicly funded in Nova Scotia, target people with earlier categories of diabetic kidney disease and includebuilt-in safety monitoring, nurse practitioner consultation or referral to a kidney doctor. This study will evaluate whether these algorithms improve kidney protective medication use which have shown to be beneficial for people with diabetes and kidney disease. The investigators will recruit 120 adults with type 2 diabetes from a provincial diabetes registry who do not have a primary care provider and screen them at pharmacy clinics for diabetic kidney disease. Those eligible and who wish to participate will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group receiving pharmacist-led care using the algorithms or a control group receiving usual care through walk-in, mobile, or virtual clinics. The investigators will measure how many patients begin and continue recommended medications, as well as any medication-related side effects or hospitalizations. Pharmacist participants will also complete a survey to identify what helps or hinders implementation in real-world practice. This research is relevant because it aims to expand access to kidney-protective treatments for people with diabetes, especially those with early forms of diabetic kidney disease who do not have regular access to primary care provider, ultimately improving long-term health outcomes.

Interventions

• Other: Usual care for diabetic kidney disease management without primary care provider. — Participants in the control group will receive usual care for diabetic kidney disease which includes virtual care, walk-in clinics, or mobile health clinics for people without a primary care provider.
• Other: Pharmacist-led validated diabetic kidney disease decision support algorithm. — Pharmacist working in community pharmacy primary care clinic in Nova Scotia will utilize previously validated diabetic kidney disease decision support algorithms for renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi), sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), or nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (nsMRA).

Primary outcomes

• Effectiveness of Community Pharmacist-Led Prescribing Algorithms to Improve Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Use in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Rx4DKD Randomized Controlled Trial (From randomization to the end of follow-up period at 12 months.)
• Effectiveness of Community Pharmacist-Led Prescribing Algorithms to Improve Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Use in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Rx4DKD Randomized Controlled Trial (From randomization to the end of the follow-up period at 12 months.)

Eligibility information

Study locations

• Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia b3h 2y9 Canada