Background: Adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) have and continue to increase significantly within the United States (U.S.). The current recommended glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) goal for a nonpregnant healthy adult is a value of 7% to lower the risk of DM-related complications (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2021). Because a goal of 7% may not be feasible in many cases due to other variables, each person with diabetes should have an individualized goal and treatment plan based on their health history and age (ADA, 2021). Compared to a lab draw, which can take hours to days before the provider can see the results, point of care testing (POCT) is more convenient because it produces results in minutes. Purpose: The goal of this quality improvement project was to enhance patient outcomes by introducing an algorithm to ensure that patients with diabetes were effectively managed according to the American Diabetes Association's current recommendations using POCT. Results: The data were subjected to Chi-square and T-tests, but no statistical significance was found. However, analysis of the data revealed many findings consistent with clinical significance. Conclusion: After analysis of the data from this quality improvement (QI) project, findings showed there was a positive correlation between POCT for HbA1c and an increase in values <9%. It was recommended staff continue to apply the algorithm to analyze the long-term outcomes of utilizing POCT for HbA1c in the family medicine clinic.
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