Hewat N, McD Taylor D, Macdonald E. Pilot study of random finger prick glucose testing as a screening tool for type 2 diabetes mellitus in the emergency department.
Emerg Med J 2011;
26:732-3. [PMID:
19773496 DOI:
10.1136/emj.2008.067041]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
A study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed hyperglycaemia among patients in the emergency department (ED) and to evaluate the usefulness of random fingerprick plasma glucose (RFPG) screening in the ED with GP follow-up.
METHODS
A cross-sectional pilot study of 101 non-diabetic patients in the ED aged > or =45 years was performed.
RESULTS
31 (30.7%) had never had diabetic screening. 67 (66.3%) had plasma glucose levels > or =5.5 mmol/l and were advised to consult their GP; 38 (56.7%) did so and 23 (60.5%) of these had follow-up testing. Nine patients (8.9%) were ultimately diagnosed with impaired glucose metabolism.
CONCLUSION
There is considerable potential for diabetic screening in the ED setting.
Collapse