HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN NON-INSULIN-TREATED PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: A PILOT STUDY IN COMMUNITY PHARMACIES
Author(s)
Catarina Neiva Afonso, BSc1, Patricia Antunes, PhD2, Carlos Alves, PhD1, Diogo Mendes, PhD1.
1Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, 2Executive Board of the NHS, Porto, Portugal.
1Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, 2Executive Board of the NHS, Porto, Portugal.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of a health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data collection protocol for non-insulin-treated patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in community pharmacies. Secondary objectives were to describe health states based on the EQ-5D-5L, derive utility scores from the Portuguese value set, and compare these outcomes with national normative data and insulin-treated populations.
METHODS: A pilot, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted across Castro Gonçalves Business Group community pharmacies (CEIUC_R-20-03/2025 approval). Adult T2DM patients undergoing non-insulin therapy were recruited during medication dispensing. After providing informed consent, participants completed a 16-item questionnaire on the LimeSurvey platform to collect sociodemographic, clinical variables and the EQ-5D-5L instrument. Health states were converted into utility scores using the official Portuguese tariff and according to methodological guidelines. Descriptive analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics (v32.0).
RESULTS: A total of 133 valid responses were analysed (mean age: 57.3±11.8 years; 58.6% female). The protocol achieved a 100% questionnaire completion rate, demonstrating high feasibility. The overall mean EQ-VAS score was 68.12±16.4 and the mean calculated utility index was 0.69±0.30. Among the EQ-5D-5L dimensions, pain/discomfort (63.9%) and anxiety/depression (52.6%) showed the highest prevalence of self-reported problems, contrasting with self-care (14.3%). Comparative analyses revealed that the sample’s mean utility score (0.69) was lower than Portuguese general population normative values for similar age cohorts (~0.76-0.80), but remained higher than reported national scores for insulin-treated T2DM cohorts (~0.61).
CONCLUSIONS: The digital protocol demonstrated strong feasibility and data integrity for real-world evidence (RWE) generation in community pharmacies. T2DM significantly impairs HRQoL even under non-insulin regimens, primarily affecting physical and psycho-emotional dimensions. The calculated utility scores highlight the strategic value of community pharmacies in monitoring patient-reported outcomes, providing essential national parameters for future economic evaluations and health technology assessment (HTA) in Portugal.
METHODS: A pilot, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted across Castro Gonçalves Business Group community pharmacies (CEIUC_R-20-03/2025 approval). Adult T2DM patients undergoing non-insulin therapy were recruited during medication dispensing. After providing informed consent, participants completed a 16-item questionnaire on the LimeSurvey platform to collect sociodemographic, clinical variables and the EQ-5D-5L instrument. Health states were converted into utility scores using the official Portuguese tariff and according to methodological guidelines. Descriptive analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics (v32.0).
RESULTS: A total of 133 valid responses were analysed (mean age: 57.3±11.8 years; 58.6% female). The protocol achieved a 100% questionnaire completion rate, demonstrating high feasibility. The overall mean EQ-VAS score was 68.12±16.4 and the mean calculated utility index was 0.69±0.30. Among the EQ-5D-5L dimensions, pain/discomfort (63.9%) and anxiety/depression (52.6%) showed the highest prevalence of self-reported problems, contrasting with self-care (14.3%). Comparative analyses revealed that the sample’s mean utility score (0.69) was lower than Portuguese general population normative values for similar age cohorts (~0.76-0.80), but remained higher than reported national scores for insulin-treated T2DM cohorts (~0.61).
CONCLUSIONS: The digital protocol demonstrated strong feasibility and data integrity for real-world evidence (RWE) generation in community pharmacies. T2DM significantly impairs HRQoL even under non-insulin regimens, primarily affecting physical and psycho-emotional dimensions. The calculated utility scores highlight the strategic value of community pharmacies in monitoring patient-reported outcomes, providing essential national parameters for future economic evaluations and health technology assessment (HTA) in Portugal.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
PCR57
Topic
Clinical Outcomes, Health Technology Assessment, Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes
Disease
Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)