Understanding How Patient Confidence in Ketone Interpretation Relates to Testing Behavior and DKA Awareness and Concern in Adults with T1D
What’s the Story?
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D) caused by the buildup of acidic ketone bodies in the blood.
Patient confidence in ketone testing, particularly in interpreting the results, may influence testing behaviors and responses to abnormal readings.
Confidence may also be shaped by prior experiences with DKA, concern about its development, and education received from healthcare providers.
This study examines how confidence in interpreting ketone levels from commonly used test kits relates to real-world testing behaviors, as well as experiences, education and perceptions of DKA.
Study Findings
- Respondents who were unconfident in their ability to interpret their ketone levels were more likely to report that they were unsure of whether they had experienced any DKA events in the past year compared to confident respondents (17% vs 8%, p<0.0005), while confident respondents were more likely to test their ketone levels across all situations that might suggest DKA.
- Meanwhile, a significantly greater percentage of unconfident respondents were extremely concerned with the risk of DKA compared to confident respondents (9% vs 6%, p=0.048).
- Finally, confident respondents were more likely to report that their HCP had talked to them about DKA compared to unconfident respondents (81% vs 66%, p<0.0005).
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