Assessment of diabetic patient management at primary health care level

Abstract

The characterization of diabetic patients seen at a primary health care clinic. The case notes of 3,024 families were searched by means of a cross-sectional study for patients 30 to 75 years of age with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus who had had a medical consultation during the previous five years. These patients were interviewed at their homes and were asked to come to the health center for physical examination and a plasma glucose test using glucosylated hemoglobin (GH). The prevalence of diabetes was 4%. The typical diabetic patient was a white women, > or = 50 years of age, from a family with a monthly income < or = 3 minimum wages. Compliance with GH was observed in 70% of the patients. Diet therapy was followed by less than one third of the patients and only one fifth were engaged in regular exercise. Nearly 70% were undergoing drug therapy (oral hypoglicemic agents or insulin); of these, only 15% used insulin. Most of the patients (66%) who agreed to have the GH test showed normal or fair glucose blood levels. Great efforts should be made by health teams to enhance diabetic patient education in order to promote compliance with recommendations regarding diet and exercise.