The Influence of New European Union Driver’s License Legislation on Reporting of Severe Hypoglycemia by Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

Ulrik Pedersen-Bjergaard; Louise Færch; Marie-Louise Allingbjerg; Rikke Agesen; Birger Thorsteinsson

doi:10.2337/dc14-1417

The Influence of New European Union Driver’s License Legislation on Reporting of Severe Hypoglycemia by Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

Ulrik Pedersen-Bjergaard, Louise Færch, Marie-Louise Allingbjerg, Rikke Agesen, Birger Thorsteinsson

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

RESULTS : Reported rates of severe hypoglycemia in the medical records were reduced by 55% in 2012 compared with the prior years (P = 0.034). The proportion of subjects reporting recurrent episodes was grossly reduced from 5.6 to 1.5% (P = 0.014). Compared with anonymous reporting in the questionnaire, the rate of severe hypoglycemia in 2012 was 70% lower (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of severe hypoglycemia by patients with type 1 diabetes is significantly reduced following implementation of EU driver's licensing legislation that implies withdrawal of driver's licensing in case of recurrent episodes within 1 year. The resulting burden of concealed severe hypoglycemia may impair the safety of affected patients and unintentionally paradoxically reduce the general traffic safety.

OBJECTIVE : We test the hypotheses that the implementation in Denmark of new, stricter European Union (EU) legislation on driver's licensing, with the purpose to improve traffic safety in January 2012, has reduced the self-reported rate of severe hypoglycemia in a routine clinical setting and that anonymous reporting results in higher event rates.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS : A cohort of 309 patients with type 1 diabetes was recruited in the outpatient clinic at Nordsjællands University Hospital Hillerød, Denmark. Yearly numbers of severe hypoglycemic events defined by need for treatment assistance from another person were retrieved from medical records in the years 2010 to 2012 and retrospectively reported in an anonymous questionnaire. Data frommedical records in 2012 were compared with those from 2010 and 2011 and with data from the questionnaire.

Original language	English
Journal	Diabetes Care
Volume	38
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	29-33
Number of pages	5
ISSN	0149-5992
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2337/dc14-1417
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2015

Keywords

Adult
Aged
Automobile Driving
Cross-Sectional Studies
Denmark
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
European Union
Female
Humans
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemic Agents
Licensure
Male
Middle Aged
Retrospective Studies
Safety
Surveys and Questionnaires

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/38/1/29.full.pdf

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@article{04f45bc86ca1490b88144eaeed55a42d,

title = "The Influence of New European Union Driver{\textquoteright}s License Legislation on Reporting of Severe Hypoglycemia by Patients With Type 1 Diabetes",

abstract = "RESULTS : Reported rates of severe hypoglycemia in the medical records were reduced by 55% in 2012 compared with the prior years (P = 0.034). The proportion of subjects reporting recurrent episodes was grossly reduced from 5.6 to 1.5% (P = 0.014). Compared with anonymous reporting in the questionnaire, the rate of severe hypoglycemia in 2012 was 70% lower (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of severe hypoglycemia by patients with type 1 diabetes is significantly reduced following implementation of EU driver's licensing legislation that implies withdrawal of driver's licensing in case of recurrent episodes within 1 year. The resulting burden of concealed severe hypoglycemia may impair the safety of affected patients and unintentionally paradoxically reduce the general traffic safety.OBJECTIVE : We test the hypotheses that the implementation in Denmark of new, stricter European Union (EU) legislation on driver's licensing, with the purpose to improve traffic safety in January 2012, has reduced the self-reported rate of severe hypoglycemia in a routine clinical setting and that anonymous reporting results in higher event rates.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS : A cohort of 309 patients with type 1 diabetes was recruited in the outpatient clinic at Nordsj{\ae}llands University Hospital Hiller{\o}d, Denmark. Yearly numbers of severe hypoglycemic events defined by need for treatment assistance from another person were retrieved from medical records in the years 2010 to 2012 and retrospectively reported in an anonymous questionnaire. Data frommedical records in 2012 were compared with those from 2010 and 2011 and with data from the questionnaire.",

keywords = "Adult, Aged, Automobile Driving, Cross-Sectional Studies, Denmark, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, European Union, Female, Humans, Hypoglycemia, Hypoglycemic Agents, Licensure, Male, Middle Aged, Retrospective Studies, Safety, Surveys and Questionnaires",

author = "Ulrik Pedersen-Bjergaard and Louise F{\ae}rch and Marie-Louise Allingbjerg and Rikke Agesen and Birger Thorsteinsson",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.",

year = "2015",

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T1 - The Influence of New European Union Driver’s License Legislation on Reporting of Severe Hypoglycemia by Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

AU - Pedersen-Bjergaard, Ulrik

AU - Færch, Louise

AU - Allingbjerg, Marie-Louise

AU - Agesen, Rikke

AU - Thorsteinsson, Birger

PY - 2015/1/1

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N2 - RESULTS : Reported rates of severe hypoglycemia in the medical records were reduced by 55% in 2012 compared with the prior years (P = 0.034). The proportion of subjects reporting recurrent episodes was grossly reduced from 5.6 to 1.5% (P = 0.014). Compared with anonymous reporting in the questionnaire, the rate of severe hypoglycemia in 2012 was 70% lower (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of severe hypoglycemia by patients with type 1 diabetes is significantly reduced following implementation of EU driver's licensing legislation that implies withdrawal of driver's licensing in case of recurrent episodes within 1 year. The resulting burden of concealed severe hypoglycemia may impair the safety of affected patients and unintentionally paradoxically reduce the general traffic safety.OBJECTIVE : We test the hypotheses that the implementation in Denmark of new, stricter European Union (EU) legislation on driver's licensing, with the purpose to improve traffic safety in January 2012, has reduced the self-reported rate of severe hypoglycemia in a routine clinical setting and that anonymous reporting results in higher event rates.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS : A cohort of 309 patients with type 1 diabetes was recruited in the outpatient clinic at Nordsjællands University Hospital Hillerød, Denmark. Yearly numbers of severe hypoglycemic events defined by need for treatment assistance from another person were retrieved from medical records in the years 2010 to 2012 and retrospectively reported in an anonymous questionnaire. Data frommedical records in 2012 were compared with those from 2010 and 2011 and with data from the questionnaire.

AB - RESULTS : Reported rates of severe hypoglycemia in the medical records were reduced by 55% in 2012 compared with the prior years (P = 0.034). The proportion of subjects reporting recurrent episodes was grossly reduced from 5.6 to 1.5% (P = 0.014). Compared with anonymous reporting in the questionnaire, the rate of severe hypoglycemia in 2012 was 70% lower (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of severe hypoglycemia by patients with type 1 diabetes is significantly reduced following implementation of EU driver's licensing legislation that implies withdrawal of driver's licensing in case of recurrent episodes within 1 year. The resulting burden of concealed severe hypoglycemia may impair the safety of affected patients and unintentionally paradoxically reduce the general traffic safety.OBJECTIVE : We test the hypotheses that the implementation in Denmark of new, stricter European Union (EU) legislation on driver's licensing, with the purpose to improve traffic safety in January 2012, has reduced the self-reported rate of severe hypoglycemia in a routine clinical setting and that anonymous reporting results in higher event rates.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS : A cohort of 309 patients with type 1 diabetes was recruited in the outpatient clinic at Nordsjællands University Hospital Hillerød, Denmark. Yearly numbers of severe hypoglycemic events defined by need for treatment assistance from another person were retrieved from medical records in the years 2010 to 2012 and retrospectively reported in an anonymous questionnaire. Data frommedical records in 2012 were compared with those from 2010 and 2011 and with data from the questionnaire.

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Automobile Driving

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Denmark

KW - Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1

KW - European Union

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Hypoglycemia

KW - Hypoglycemic Agents

KW - Licensure

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Retrospective Studies

KW - Safety

KW - Surveys and Questionnaires

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DO - 10.2337/dc14-1417

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25288675

SN - 0149-5992

VL - 38

SP - 29

EP - 33

JO - Diabetes Care

JF - Diabetes Care

IS - 1

ER -

The Influence of New European Union Driver’s License Legislation on Reporting of Severe Hypoglycemia by Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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