ABSTRACT

Objectives: To examine availability of International Diabetes Federation (IDF)-recommended diabetes indicators in the medical charts of patients in active care at a public health centre in southwest Trinidad and Tobago, and to determine clinical status of the patient population according to Caribbean Health Research Council/Pan American Health Organization (CHRC/PAHO) guidelines for disease control.

Methods:  Data were extracted from the medical records of consecutive patients with diagnosed diabetes who presented for routine care at the health centre over a seven-month period. The three most recent dates and results for the following clinical indicators were extracted: glycated haemoglobin (HbA_1c), blood pressure, lipid panel, random blood sugar and weight.

Results: Data were extracted from 486 patient medical records (91% of patients who presented for care). The majority of records, 366 (76%), had one of three recommended IDF indicators of HbA_1c, blood pressure or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the past year, 58 (12%) had two, 55 (11%) had three and seven (1%) had no indicators recorded. Random blood sugar and blood pressure were recorded in 93% of records, while only 20% had an HbA_1c reported in the past year. The vast majority of patients did not meet guidelines for control of blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol. Due to a non-standardized HbA_1c assay, rate of controlled HbA_1c, based on CHRC/PAHO clinical guidelines, could not be determined.

Conclusions: Although availability of indicators suggests an increase from prior audits reported in the literature, current reporting patterns challenge optimal patient management and future systematic evaluation of trends indiabetes care and outcomes.