Table 1 Advantages and disadvantages of tools that might be used to screen patients with T2D for UDCI
From: Unrecognised cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes: is it time to act earlier?
Tool | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
Questionnaires | Can be carried out by a variety of people with limited affect to its validity and reliability Results can be quickly and easily quantified Can be analysed more ‘scientifically’ and objectively than other forms of research Can be used to compare and contrast data and to measure change | Patients may provide the answers that they think are expected Lacks validity It is difficult to assess how much thought a patient has given to each question The interpretation of each question may differ |
Digital data gathering (e.g. wearable personal health tracker) | Provide continuous, objective, remote monitoring Patients can monitor and self-manage behaviours A significant volume of data can be captured Data collected may promote beneficial lifestyle changes | Accuracy may be affected by factors such as individual gait characteristics, body morphology, and where and how a device is worn on the body Patients may place greater faith in the accuracy of the device than is warranted Sensitive data may be captured with resultant privacy issues |
Stress test or 6-minute walking test | Practical and simple requiring no specialised equipment Evaluates the global and integrated responses of all the systems involved during exercise Useful for measuring the response to medical interventions Findings are reproducible | Additional cardiopulmonary exercise testing may be required Adherence to strict protocols is required to ensure validity of data collected |
Biomarkers | Free from recall bias Can provide sensitive and specific early detection of disease | Usually require a sample of body fluid to be taken Inter-individual variability may be a concern Specialised laboratory analysis may be required Reproducibility could be a concern May not be cost-effective |