HEALTH MATTERS 27 News // in brieF onlInE SuPPoRT FoR PEoPlE wITH dIABETES
Nearly everybody with diabetes knows how important it is to sustain good control of blood glucose. Many measure their blood glucose using their own glucose meter, which allows the person with diabetes to track blood glucose changes at different times of the day, and this is very important in living an active and full life with diabetes. The diabetes care team use another test to look at how a person’s diabetes has been controlled over the previous two months or so. This test is called the HbA1c test. It is very good at identifying those at greater risk of developing the complications of diabetes. The international organisations for laboratory medicine and diabetes have agreed that the way HbA1c is measured and reported should be standardised worldwide. This will make comparing HbA1c results from different hospitals and different countries much easier, and it will bring benefits to all involved in diabetes care. People with diabetes will notice the change after the 1st
of july.
From that day, HbA1c results will be reported in the new units called mmol/mol and in the traditional way as a percentage. This is called dual reporting and will continue until the end of 2011. After that only the new units will be reported.
It is likely that most people with diabetes will only have three or four HbA1c measurements made during the period of dual reporting, so it is important that they become familiar with the new numbers from early on, especially those numbers that concern the
management of their own diabetes. The diabetes care team will help in this regard. The quality of HbA1c results provided by the laboratories in the publicly funded hospitals in this country is extraordinarily good. Because of this, it is likely we will be able to use HbA1c to diagnose diabetes within the next couple of years and health service planners will be able to use community-wide HbA1c data to plan diabetes services into the future. All of these changes provide a valuable opportunity for all involved in diabetes care to highlight once again the importance of good control of blood glucose in preventing the complications of diabetes. Further information about the change is available on the
‘diabetes’ page of HSE website (
www.hse.ie/go/diabetes) and people can use a handy converter to convert results from one reporting system to the other.
For further information please contact: Loraine McGrattan, Project Manager, HSE – Palliative Care/Chronic Illness Care Group, Oak House, Limetree Avenue, Millennium Park, Naas, Co. kildare. Tel: (045) 882 582
HEALTH SERVICES MANAGEMENT MASTERS PROGRAMME
+ Master Class, Graduates from the Health Services Management Masters Programme at Trinity College, Dublin, after conferral in May 2010. Martina Ryan, St johns Hospital, limerick, Deirdre Kenny, HSE PCCC LHO, North West Dublin; Ciara Fitzsimons, Central Remedial Clinic, Dublin; Siobhan O’Hanlon, Regional Drug Co- ordination unit, waterford, Breedge Finn, Beaumont Hospital; norma Sheehan, wexford Hospital; kate Browne, unicare Pharmacy, Cork; lisa Brennan, HSE Child and Family Centre, dublin; john Fox, HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster, Liam Donnelly, St Conals Hospital, Donegal; Mary McStay, HSE Intercountry Adoption Services Frances Neilan, Galway Clinic; Maeve Shanley, HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster Addiction Service, Carol O’Donnell, Cheeverstown House, Dublin, Enda Doody, St Ita’s Hospital, Donabate, Kathleen Williams, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Amelia Cox, Regional Hospital Mullingar, Penelope Wiggle, Tallaght Hospital; and Colette McLoughlin, Children an Family Services, HSE, Dublin.
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