DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i12.026

Pages: 4918-4923

Patient care guidelines when introduced have more impact on its laboratory usage. Monitoring of test requests and ordering pattern help in optimizing and providing in-service education which is important after new guidelines. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is formed non-enzymatically by condensation of glucose or other reducing sugars with alpha- and beta-globin chains of hemoglobin A. Blood levels of HbA1c have been used for monitoring the degree of control of glucose levels in diabetic patients since 1976. It was introduced as a routine test in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Christian Medical College, Vellore, in 1995 for monitoring extent of control blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. The American Diabetes Association currently recommends that HbA1c can be used as a diagnostic tool as well. In the present retrospective study, we analyzed the ordering pattern of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by clinicians in Christian Medical College, Vellore during first week of October, 2014. Data were collected from Computerized Hospital Information Processing System (CHIPS) department on the basis of HbA1c ordered during first week of October, 2014. It was analyzed based on the pattern of ordering HbA1c by broad speciality and super speciality departments in Christian Medical College, Vellore. It appears from the data studied that clinicians in the broad specialties used estimation of HbA1c as a diagnostic test to a greater extent than as a monitoring test. The reverse appeared to be the case with clinicians in the super specialties.