title: Clinical Assessment of Individualized Glycemic Goals in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Formulation of an Algorithm Based on a Survey Among Leading Worldwide Diabetologists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Observations over the past few years have demonstrated the need to adjust glycemic targets based on parameters pertaining to individual patient characteristics and comorbidities. However, the weight and value given to each parameter will clearly vary depending on the experience of the provider, the characteristics of the patient, and the specific clinical situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine if there is current consensus on a global level with regard to identifying these parameters and their relative importance, we conducted a survey among 244 key worldwide opinion-leading diabetologists. Initially, the physicians were to rank the factors they take into consideration when setting their patients' glycemic target according to their relative importance. Subsequently, six clinical vignettes were presented, and the experts were requested to suggest an appropriate glycemic target. The survey results were used to formulate an algorithm according to which an estimate of the patient's glycemic target based on individualized parameters can be computed. Three additional clinical cases were submitted to a new set of experts for validation of the algorithm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 151 (61.9%) experts responded to the survey. The parameters "life expectancy" and "risk of hypoglycemia from treatment" were considered to be the most important. "Resources" and "disease duration" ranked the lowest. An algorithm was constructed based on survey results. It was validated by presenting three new cases to 57 leading diabetologists who suggested glycemic targets that were similar to those calculated by the algorithm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The resultant suggested algorithm is an additional decision-making tool offered to the clinician to supplement clinical decision making when considering a glycemic target for the individual patient with diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Research Center, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Avivit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cahn
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Research Center, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel ntv502@netvision.net.il.
authors.forename: Itamar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raz
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Bikur Cholim Campus, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Yosef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.affiliation: Clalit Institute for Research, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balicer
authors.affiliation: Clalit Institute for Research, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoshen
authors.affiliation: Clalit Institute for Research, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lieberman
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science Education, Michlala Jerusalem College, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brenig
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa School of Medicine, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Del Prato
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Cefalu
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D004704:Endocrinology; D006040:Goals; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D057285:Precision Medicine; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose