Metabolic parameters and blood pressures achieved by diabetic patients at two health care facilities in south Trinidad

Ganga Bhagirathee; Rohan G. Maharaj

doi:10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.005

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Volume 5, Issue 1, March 2015, Pages 49 - 56

Metabolic parameters and blood pressures achieved by diabetic patients at two health care facilities in south Trinidad

Authors

Ganga Bhagirathee^a, Rohan G. Maharaj^b^{, *}^,rohan.maharaj@sta.uwi.edu

^aSiparia District Health Facility, South West Regional Health Authority, Trinidad and Tobago

^bUnit of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

^*Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 868 770 6953.

Corresponding Author

Rohan G. Maharajrohan.maharaj@sta.uwi.edu

Received 22 April 2014, Revised 6 August 2014, Accepted 20 September 2014, Available Online 27 October 2014.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.005 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: Primary health care; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Point of care testing; Trinidad
Abstract: Background: Previous studies have demonstrated poor metabolic and blood pressure control in the diabetic population in Trinidad. The aim of this study is to compare baseline and follow-up metabolic parameters and blood pressures taken within a 16-month period to ascertain if there have been improvements.

Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted of diabetic patients at the Siparia and Erin health facilities in 2012. To be eligible, charts had to contain two point-of-care values of HbA1c, Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), and weight measurements taken within a 16-month period with at least an 8-month interval from the initial to the final testing. Comparisons were made with the Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC) guidelines to determine clinical significance.

Results: 253 patients from Siparia and 68 from Erin were studied. At Siparia there was a statistically significant change in TG, LDL and diastolic BP, with TG levels actually worsening (p < 0.05). At Erin there was a statistically significant change in HbA1c, LDL and diastolic BP. At neither site did these changes achieve clinical significance. There were statistically significant differences between the means of HbA1c and systolic BP by age, but not by gender or ethnicity. On comparing the outcomes between the two health facilities, there were no statistically significant differences between them. When compared with the recommendations by the CHRC, only for the TC was the guideline level achieved.

Conclusion: Despite heavy investment in primary care centers, there continues to be little success in achieving metabolic and BP control for diabetic patients in Trinidad.
Copyright: © 2014 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access: This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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Journal: Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
Volume-Issue: 5 - 1
Pages: 49 - 56
Publication Date: 2014/10/27
ISSN (Online): 2210-6014
ISSN (Print): 2210-6006
DOI: 10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.005 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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ris enw bib

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ganga Bhagirathee
AU  - Rohan G. Maharaj
PY  - 2014
DA  - 2014/10/27
TI  - Metabolic parameters and blood pressures achieved by diabetic patients at two health care facilities in south Trinidad
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
SP  - 49
EP  - 56
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
SN  - 2210-6014
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.005
DO  - 10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.005
ID  - Bhagirathee2014
ER  -

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