| Abstrakt: |
Background/purpose of the study: The HbA1c test was officially introduced by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as a diagnostic and monitoring tool for diabetes mellitus in 2010.The following year, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to accept the use of this test for similar reasons. The HbA1c test reflects average plasma glucose over the proceeding 8 to 12 weeks. Therefore, this test should ideally be performed every 2 to 3 months. The HbA1c value can be inaccurate with certain comorbidities such as hemoglobinopathies, high turnover of erythrocytes, and following blood transfusion. In developing countries, HbA1c tests are quite expensive so its demand must be appropriate. This study aims to evaluate the early HbA1c test, which was performed in less than 3 months, and its association with the incidence of hemoglobinopathies in the Dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective study using historical data from the Laboratory Information System (LIS) in the period of 2012 until 2017. Results: Over 5 years, there were 32,000 HbA1c tests. About 18% were repeated more than two times in less than 3 months. Of this number, 6.4% was performed in less than a month, 5.9% in 1 to 2 months, and 5.7% in 2 to 3 months. Conclusion: This may not only be caused by the lack of communication between clinicians and laboratory personnel, but also the presence of hemoglobinopathies, causing unreliable results. Requesting HbA1c test too early can result in inaccurate measurements. As a consequence, there is a need for better communication between clinicians and laboratory personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
