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Item
#14
What Does the HbA1c Results
Mean? Not Much According to a Patient Study
The
understanding of the meaning of an A1c tests is crucial to
diabetes management according to a new study.
The
purpose of the
study was to
compare self-reported knowledge about A1C testing with information
from the medical record.
The study
used a telephone survey which, was conducted among patients with
diabetes in a rural fee-for-service practice and a community
health center. Self-reported information regarding A1C testing,
the last A1C value, and perceived blood glucose control was
compared with the most current A1C value documented in the medical
record.
The
results showed that seventy five percent of survey respondents
reported having 1 or more A1C tests in the past year, which
generally agreed with information from their medical records.
However, only 24% of those who reported having a test remembered
the actual value, and the self-reported values correlated weakly
with the last A1C on the medical record. Among those with a
documented A1C value, half described their blood glucose as very
well controlled. The last A1C value, however, was < 7.0% in only
half of those respondents.
From the
results it was concluded that persons with diabetes were aware of
their previous A1C testing but did not interpret the values
accurately in relation to their own glycemic control. If
clinicians expect patient knowledge and understanding of glycemic
control measures to improve outcomes of care, patient education
will need to emphasize the meaning of these values.
For a Print out
that you can enter your patients results on, with an explanation,
just go to
Patients Results
Diabetes
Educ 2002 Jan-Feb;28(1):99-105
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FACT:
Diabetes now rivals smoking, hypertension and cholesterol
disorders as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
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