Self-knowledge of HbA1c in people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and its association with glycaemic control

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of accurate self-knowledge of a patient's own HbA1c level (HbA1cSK), as a component of structural education (University Hospital's of Leicester (UHL), 2013) and its association with glycaemic control. Methods Data from the GUIDANCE study, a cross-sectional study involving 7597 participants from eight European countries was used. HbA1cSK was evaluated and compared with laboratory measured HbA1c levels (HbA1cLAB), which represented the measure of glycaemic control. Accuracy of the self-reported HbA1c was evaluated by using agreement statistical methods. Results The prevalence of HbA1cSK was 49.4%. Within this group, 78.3% of the participants had accurately reported HbA1cSK. There was good level of agreement between HbA1cSK and HbA1cLAB (intra-class correlation statistic = 0.84, p < 0.0001). Participants with accurately reported HbA1cSK were found to have a statistically significantly lower HbA1cLAB compared to participants with inaccurately reported HbA1cSK (7.0% versus 7.3%, p < 0.001). Conclusion Nearly half of the patients had self-knowledge of their own HbA1c level. Moreover, the participants with accurately reported HbA1cSK were found to have associated better glycaemic control