Quality of diabetes care: A cross-sectional observational study in Oman

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of diabetes care in Oman. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. Fifty percent of all those attending six general health centres in June 2005 were systematically selected for the study. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. Results: A total of 430 diabetic subjects were included. Just over 61% percent of the subjects were female (n = 263). The overall mean age of the cohort was 52 ± 12 years ranging from 6 to 84 years. Only 40% (n = 171) and 39% (n = 169) of the diabetics had their random blood sugar (RBS) and fasting blood sugar (FBS) documented, respectively. However, 79% (n = 339) had either RBS or FBS done according to the records. Documentation for the other measurements ranged from 74% (n = 317) for HbA1c and LDL (low density lipoproteins)-cholesterol to 95% (n = 409) for systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) readings. A total of 58% (n = 249) of patients had non-missing values of HbA1c, SBP/DBP, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL (high density lipoproteins)-cholesterol, and triglycerides. Only 2.4% (6 out of 249 diabetics) were simultaneously within goal for HbA1c (<7%), SBP/DBP (<=130/80mmHg), total cholesterol (<5.2mmol/L), LDL-cholesterol (<3.3mmol/L), HDL-cholesterol (>1.1 - <1.68mmol/L), and triglycerides (<1.8mmol/L). Conclusion: There was good documentation of values for the indicators used in the assessment of quality. However, the proportion (2.4%) of those meeting internationally recognised goals for the three diabetes-related factors was extremely low.