Adherence to 1997 diabetes screening guidelines in a large ambulatory clinic.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the 1997 American Diabetes Association screening guidelines were being implemented by primary care providers.



A retrospective health record review was undertaken in a large midwestern ambulatory care clinic. A master list was developed of clients aged 45 to 54 years who had been given a physical examination between January 1, 1998, and June 30, 1998. A total of 310 records were systematically selected and abstracted. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.



Although all subjects met the age criterion by design, and a high percent were high risk, only 57.7% were screened for diabetes.



Adherence to the 1997 screening guidelines was inadequate in this practice setting; therefore the authors suggest replicating this study in other practice settings. Diabetes educators should continue to promote the practice of screening high-risk individuals of all ages.
Koll
E
E
The Diabetes Management Center, All Saints Healthcare System, Racine, Wis­consin (Ms Koll)|Ms Koll currently is with the Ganz Allergy and Asthma Center, Racine, Wisconsin.
Hewitt
J B
JB
The Department of Health Restoration, University of Wiscon­sin-Milwaukee, School of Nursing, Mil­waukee (Dr Hewitt)
D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014922:Wisconsin