Open AccessFinding Employees with Undiagnosed Diabetes
Author(s) -
T. Lenz,
Nicole Gillespie,
Michael Monaghan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the internet journal of allied health sciences and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1540-580X
DOI - 10.46743/1540-580x/2013.1438
Subject(s) - diabetes mellitus , confidentiality , vendor , medicine , impaired fasting glucose , type 2 diabetes , diabetes management , plasma glucose , family medicine , business , impaired glucose tolerance , marketing , endocrinology , political science , law
Purpose: Implement a confidential and low cost method to identify employees with undiagnosed diabetes. Methods:Blood samples from fasting plasma glucose measurements obtained by a third party vendor from the annual employee health risk assessment data were re-run at a cut-point of 117 mg/dL or greater to obtain a hemoglobin A1c (A1c) value. Individual letters were sent from the third party vendor to employees with a HbA1c value of 5.7% or greater informing them of an employee diabetes management program. Results: 1611 of 3044 (53%) employees participated in the annual health risk assessment; 87 employees demonstrated a fasting plasma glucose >117 mg/dL; 27 employees had a A1c of 5.7-6.3%; and 16 employees had an A1c > 6.5%; 9 employees volunteered to participant in the diabetes management program. The employer spent a total of $783 to find 16 employees with undiagnosed diabetes and 27 employees with undiagnosed pre-diabetes. Conclusion: The process used by this employer maintained confidentiality and was considered a low cost means of finding employees with undiagnosed diabetes.