Using the IMEDS distributed database for epidemiological studies in type 2 diabetes mellitus

IntroductionThis study aimed to assess data relevancy and data quality of the Innovation in Medical Evidence Development and Surveillance System Distributed Database (IMEDS-DD) for diabetes research and to evaluate comparability of its type 2 diabetes cohort to the general type 2 diabetes population.Research design and methodsA retrospective study was conducted using the IMEDS-DD. Eligible members were adults with a medical encounter between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019 (index period). Type 2 diabetes and co-existing conditions were determined using all data available from April 1, 2016 to the most recent encounter within the index period. Type 2 diabetes patient characteristics, comorbidities and hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) values were summarized and compared with those reported in national benchmarks and literature.ResultsType 2 diabetes prevalence was 12.6% in the IMEDS-DD. Of 4 14 672 patients with type 2 diabetes, 52.8% were male, and the mean age was 65.0 (SD 13.3) years. Common comorbidities included hypertension (84.5%), hyperlipidemia (82.8%), obesity (45.3%), and cardiovascular disease (44.7%). Moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease was observed in 20.2% patients. The most commonly used antihyperglycemic agents included metformin (35.7%), sulfonylureas (14.8%), and insulin (9.9%). Less than one-half (48.9%) had an HbA(1c) value recorded. These findings demonstrated the notable similarity in patient characteristics between type 2 diabetes populations identified within the IMEDS-DD and other large databases.ConclusionsDespite the limitations related to HbA(1c) data, our findings indicate that the IMEDS-DD contains robust information on key data elements to conduct pharmacoepidemiological studies in diabetes, including member demographic and clinical characteristics and health services utilization.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the data relevancy and quality of the IMEDS-DD for diabetes research and compared its type 2 diabetes cohort to the general population. The results showed that the IMEDS-DD contains robust information for conducting pharmacoepidemiological studies in diabetes.