(DCP067) UNDERSTANDING THE PREVALENCE AND TREATMENT PATTERNS OF DIABETES AMONG RESIDENTS OF LONG TERM CARE IN ONTARIO

Background: Residents of long term care (LTC) with diabetes (DM) are vulnerable to treatment-related adverse events such as hypoglycemia, falls, and fractures due to their baseline frailty, multiple comorbidities and functional/cognitive impairment. While the prevalence of DM in LTC homes in Ontario was previously reported at 25% in the early 2000s, in some US studies it is as high as 34%. The present study aims to examine the epidemiology of DM among LTC residents in Ontario, including regional variations in DM prevalence and treatment patterns.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a population-based cohort study of LTC residents in Ontario using linked ICES administrative databases from April 2017 to March 2022. We evaluated the proportion of LTC residents with DM during each fiscal year of the study period. Data on age, sex, geographical location was included. We also evaluated baseline clinical data on LTC residents with and without diabetes between 2021-2022.

We report a DM prevalence ranging from 35.5% to 36.7% between 2017-2021. The prevalence of DM was significantly higher among men compared to women (41.1%-42.1% vs. 33.0%-34.2%, p < 0.001) and varied according to region with the highest prevalence in the Central West (41.2%-42.1%), Central (41.2%-41.6%), North East (37.8%-38.6%) and Toronto Central (37.6%-38.5%). Data on treatment patterns is a work in progress.

Conclusion: Over 35% of Ontario LTC residents had DM from 2017 to 2022, a prevalence significantly higher than previously reported in Ontario. There was substantial regional variability in DM rates in LTC. Findings from our study will allow for a better understanding of the provincial epidemiology of DM in LTC homes and will guide future policy decisions and focus resources accordingly.