Pattern and Knowledge of HbA1C Testing among Diabetic Patients at The Indus Hospital (TIH), Karachi

Abstract

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic illness that is characterized by high blood sugar levels and is associated with high mortality and morbidity due to its long-term complications. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is the gold standard test to assess glycemic control for a duration of three months. Therefore, awareness of diabetic patients regarding HbA1c is important for their appropriate management. Objective: To evaluate the pattern and knowledge regarding HbA1c testing among diabetic patients. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Internal Medicine, The Indus Hospital (TIH), Karachi, From October 21, 2018, to April 20, 2019. After taking informed consent, a total of 380 diabetic patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were interviewed by a resident in Internal Medicine. Besides demographic data, the recent value of HbA1c and knowledge of HbA1c were recorded on a predesigned questionnaire. The lab results of HbA1c were taken through the Health management informatics system (HMIS). SPSS software version 20 was used for data analysis. Results: Out of a total of 380 patients, 131 (34.5%) were males and 249 (65.5%) were females. The mean age was 51.6±10.4 years. The majority of patients (64.5%) had no formal education. The mean BMI was 27.9kg/m2 . The mean duration of diabetes was 6.6+7.4 years. As far as knowledge about the HbA1c test was concerned, 14 patients (3.7%) had knowledge about the HbA1c test. 10 patients (2.6%) knew what the target HbA1c should be, 48 patients (12.6%) knew about the frequency of testing of HbA1c while 10 patients (2.6%) remembered their last HbA1c results. The patients who had knowledge about HbA1c were comparatively younger (mean age: 43.57 vs 51.98, p=0.003) Conclusion: The results of the current study indicate the lack of awareness and knowledge of HbA1c testing among diabetic patients. It is also concluded that there is a need to create awareness among diabetic patients regarding the HbA1c test for their appropriate management.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• complications
• glycemic monitoring
• hba1c
• knowledge.