Swedish diabetes patients’ experiences of using GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) : A qualitative interview study.

Sammanfattning: Background: The world prevalence of diabetes mellitus in 2019 was 8.3%, out of which 85-90% have type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Numerous drugs for treating T2DM are approved, and one of the newer classes of drugs are GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). In Sweden during 2015 to 2019, the number of patients using GLP-1 RAs has increased by 280%. Despite this, few studies have explored the experiences of patients using these drugs.  Aim: The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about how patients diagnosed with T2DM experience and understand their treatment with GLP-1 RAs in Sweden.  Methods: Individual semi-structural interviews were conducted with seven patients and three persons from the healthcare staff during October and November 2020 in Region Uppsala, Sweden. The data was analyzed qualitatively with systematic text condensation. Results: The four main findings were: 1) Both patients with great effect and less effect were satisfied with treatment and preferred GLP-1 RAs compared to their other treatments, 2) GLP-1 RAs may have an impact on lifestyle by effect on appetite and hunger and through the stability in glucose level, more freedom, 3) The preferred administration frequency depended on how easy it was to remember taking the drug, 4) Patients mostly understood their treatment as well as they wanted to, but regular initiation follow-ups and more explanations of decisions could increase treatment motivation and reduce anxiety.The healthcare staff confirmed these experiences by patients but assumed patients preferred weekly administrations compared to daily administrations.  Conclusions: Patients’ experiences of using GLP-1 RAs were positive and they described GLP-1 RAs as the best T2DM treatment they had.