Quality of Diabetes Care at Outpatient Clinic, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To assess the clinical care of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) patients at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), a countrywide tertiary referral center in Muscat, Oman. Methods: We performed a retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study using a total of 673 Omani T2D patients from the Diabetes and Family Medicine Clinics at SQUH. We collected patient data from June 2010 to February 2012 from the Hospital Information System (HIS). Patients had to be Omani, aged more than 18 years old, and have T2D with active follow-up and at least three visits within one year to be included in the study. Ninety-three percent of the patients (n=622) were on oral hypoglycemic drugs and/or insulin, and 70% were on statins. Patients’ anthropometric data, biochemical investigations, blood pressure, and duration of diabetes were recorded from the HIS. Results: Using the recommended standards and guidelines of medical care in diabetes (American Diabetes Association and the American National Cholesterol Education Program III NCDP NIII standards), we observed that 22% of the patients achieved a HbA1C goal of 1.0; females >1.3mmol/L). Almost 60% of the patients had urinary microalbumin/creatinine ratio within the normal range. Conclusions: The clinical outcomes of the care that T2D patients get at SQUH were lower than those reported in Europe and North America. However, it is similar to those reported in other countries in the Arabian Gulf.

Keywords

• Oman
• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
• Outpatient Clinics
• Hospital