FOCUS magazine showcases a selection of our original resources. You can use the educational content featured in FOCUS to identify and reduce barriers that prevent people from accessing the medicines they need.

Explore your prescribing further with EPiC Reflect Diabetes. This activity helps you to delve into your EPiC data, contemplate your prescribing, reflect on your current practice, and set goals and actions. Available as an editable PDF document, EPiC Reflect helps you to incorporate your learning into your everyday practice.

Following on from presentations in February, this new resource covers discussions from webinars held in August 2021.

The content has been edited, and reviewed by Waikato DHB endocrinologist/diabetologist Dr Ryan Paul.

We recommend using Google Chrome when accessing this resource. You may experience technical difficulties on other internet browsers.

In this webinar, Dr Ryan Paul discusses the newly-funded type 2 diabetes medication dulaglutide, and provides advice on when and how to use it.

Dulaglutide is available from 1 September, but do you know how to pronounce it? Listen to our quick guide for help.

From 1 September and when clinically indicated, dulaglutide can be started in adult patients with type 2 diabetes using the steps shown in this resource.

Talking points, relevant for all patients starting dulaglutide, are provided along with two algorithms and accompanying prescribing notes.

When clinically indicated, empagliflozin can be started in adult patients with type 2 diabetes using the steps shown in this resource (updated 24 Aug 2021).

Talking points, relevant for all patients starting empagliflozin, are provided along with two algorithms and accompanying prescribing notes. Which algorithm you follow will depend on your patient’s level of hypoglycaemia risk. 

When initiating either empagliflozin or dulaglutide, the newly funded second-line type 2 diabetes agents,¹ choice is based primarily on predominant comorbidities, clinical features and tolerability.

Administration route is an additional factor; dulaglutide is a once-weekly, subcutaneous injection and empagliflozin is a daily tablet. Patient factors are also important, and the contraindications and adverse effects profiles differ. 

Read the HAH Bulletin (updated July 2022) to find out more.

Dulaglutide, a once-weekly injectable medicine, will soon be available for second-line treatment of type 2 diabetes. As most people with type 2 diabetes will require an injectable therapy at some stage, it is important to build acceptability early in the patient journey.

This Quality Improvement Activity enables you to review the glycaemic management of your type 2 diabetes patients and identify those who may benefit from initiation or intensification of blood glucose lowering medicines.

Good glycaemic control has a clear benefit on microvascular outcomes and if started early enough, on long-term macrovascular outcomes of coronary artery disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.