Diabetes Educators: Understanding the Role of Finerenone in Chronic Kidney Disease Associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

People living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at risk of developing diabetes-related complications such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Screening for CKD is considered the standard of diabetes care, but less than half of people living with diabetes in the United States receive guideline-directed kidney disease testing. Despite recent pharmacologic advances for the treatment of this condition, insufficient screening delays both diagnosis and treatment of diabetes-related CKD and increases the risk of poor outcomes. The nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone is an orally administered drug that, when taken with the maximum tolerated dose of a renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor, can provide kidney and cardiovascular benefits for people living with T2DM-related CKD. Yet, uptake of this drug has been slow. Increasing awareness of finerenone may encourage its use in clinical practice. Diabetes educators are healthcare professionals (HCPs) with extensive diabetes care experience who encourage diabetes self-management and provide patients with education on the prevention of diabetes-related complications. Diabetes educators bridge knowledge and care gaps among other HCPs by facilitating communication between members of the care team and raising awareness on the importance of CKD prevention and screening. Additionally, diabetes educators reinforce the clinical evidence behind available treatments to promote adherence to guidelines. Here, the evidence for finerenone in T2DM-related CKD and the role of the diabetes educator from both patient and HCP perspectives are reviewed.Graphical abstract available for this article.