Self-knowledge of HbA1c in people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and its association with glycaemic control.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of accurate self-knowledge of a patient's own HbA1c level (HbA1c_SK), as a component of structural education (University Hospital's of Leicester (UHL), 2013) and its association with glycaemic control. Data from the GUIDANCE study, a cross-sectional study involving 7597 participants from eight European countries was used. HbA1c_SK was evaluated and compared with laboratory measured HbA1c levels (HbA1c_LAB), which represented the measure of glycaemic control. Accuracy of the self-reported HbA1c was evaluated by using agreement statistical methods. The prevalence of HbA1c_SK was 49.4%. Within this group, 78.3% of the participants had accurately reported HbA1c_SK. There was good level of agreement between HbA1c_SK and HbA1c_LAB (intra-class correlation statistic=0.84, p<0.0001). Participants with accurately reported HbA1c_SK were found to have a statistically significantly lower HbA1c_LAB compared to participants with inaccurately reported HbA1c_SK (7.0% versus 7.3%, p<0.001). Nearly half of the patients had self-knowledge of their own HbA1c level. Moreover, the participants with accurately reported HbA1c_SK were found to have associated better glycaemic control.