Practice patterns of rural family physicians based on the American Diabetes Association standards of care

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine practice patterns of rural family physicians in the care of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus based on the standards of care of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). One hundred patient charts were randomly chosen, twenty for each physician, from the practices of five family physicians in rural Ohio. A standardized collection protocol was used, based upon the ADA recommendations. The charts were reviewed for compliance with the ADA parameters. The patients' records demonstrated 66% compliance with dietary counseling and 33% with counseling about exercise. Moreover, there was low compliance with physical examination guidelines. Specifically, 66% of the patients had fundoscopic examination and 64% had a complete foot examination done. With respect to the laboratory guidelines, 70% of the charts reviewed had a urinalysis ordered and 45% annual lipids measured. However, glycosylated hemoglobin was performed in only 15% of the patients. The results suggest that rural family physicians do not consistently follow the ADA standards of care.