Diagnosis and management of cardiometabolic disease after spinal cord injury: Identifying gaps in physician training and practices

Abstract

Context Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) frequently occurs in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), with growing awareness surrounding the expansive scope of this problem. As CMD has significant morbidity and mortality, early guidelines-based screening and management have been established. However, the extent to which these guidelines have been adopted are unclear. Objective Describe physicians’ screening and management pattern for CMD in patients with SCI, as compared to SCI-specific CMD screening guidelines, and elucidate variables linked to screening and management patterns. Methods SCI medicine-boarded physicians were surveyed on screening timing for CMD following acute SCI, along with their practice pattern and comfort level managing common CMD risk factors. Results Of the forty-seven SCI medicine physicians that responded, 62% felt the ideal timing for CMD screening is 6 months after the acute injury. Of these same physicians, few were screening for insulin resistance and lipid dysregulation prior to 6 months after injury. In addition, less than half felt comfortable writing new prescriptions for anti-glycemic and anti-lipid medications. Furthermore, no association was found between the amount of CMD education with screening or management patterns. Finally, VA-based providers were more likely to screen for CMD within 6 months of injury and were more comfortable managing/starting anti-glycemic medications and statins. Conclusions Despite the presence of SCI-specific CMD guidelines, gaps in screening and management practices still exist, most notably with insulin resistance and lipid dysregulation. VA-based providers generally screen and manage CMD risk factors more effectively, and further CMD education could consider emulating VA training modules.