Medical appointment no‐shows associated with poor glycaemic control among Taiwanese aborigines

Abstract

To determine whether diabetes control is less optimal in Taiwanese aborigines and identify the risk factors associated with poor glycaemic control. Cross-sectional analysis of data from Taiwan Diabetes Shared Care Program A rural hospital in central Taiwan. Patients enrolled in Diabetes Shared Care Program in 2010 were surveyed. The average HbA1c in 2010 was compared between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups. Age, gender, body mass index and disease duration were selected to represent biological factors. Combined with the existence of geographic barrier to medical service and rate of medical appointment no-shows, multivariate linear regression model was applied to determine the predictive power of each factor to glycaemic status. Only 26% of patients achieved average HbA1c of less than 7%. The average HbA1c of the aboriginal group is significantly higher than that of the non-aboriginal group (8.73% versus 7.93%, P < 0.001). However, in multivariate linear regression model, racial background was no longer a risk factor for poor glycaemic control. Medical appointment no-shows was found as the most significant risk factor for poor glycaemic control (b = 1.48, P < 0.001). Taiwanese aboriginal diabetes patients as a group have poorer glycaemic control than the non-aboriginal group. Medical appointment no-shows may significantly contribute to the development of hyperglycaemia among Taiwanese aborigines.