title: Evaluation of HbA1C results in an external quality assessment scheme in South Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Measuring HbA1c blood levels allows us to assess average glycaemia in individuals during the preceding 6-8 weeks. There is a clear association between increasing risk of complications with higher HbA1c values and a significant risk reduction of the complications with lower HbA1c values.
  
  
  METHODS
  The performance of South African laboratories in an External Quality Assurance scheme for HbA1c is reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A number of laboratories and methods do not meet the required analytical standards. South African laboratories should adopt measures similar to other regional and national initiatives to significantly improve laboratory performance and bring about harmonization of HbA1c assays.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria 0001,South Africa. gurdeep1@emirates.net.ae
authors.forename: Gurdeep S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Dhatt
authors.forename: Joachim K W
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Pum
authors.forename: Adie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viljoen
authors.forename: Wessel
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jenner
mesh_terms: D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin