Hemoglobin A1c Self‐recording in the Management of Diabetes Mellitus: A Pilot Study

HbA1c evaluates glycemic control 3-6 weeks retrospectively. To achieve improvements in glycemic control we have tested a patient-administered HbA1c control program in 12 (11 type I) diabetic patients. In the program, HbA1c was estimated once a month for 12 months and the results were mailed to the patient who recorded them in a specially designed HbA1c chart. The results in the probands were compared with 24 matched (22 type I) diabetic patients. The results showed that HbA1c fell significantly (p less than 0.01) during the year in the probands, from 8.84 +/- 1.12% to 7.48 +/- 0.95%, and was unchanged in the controls (8.41 +/- 1.78% and 8.17 +/- 1.74%, respectively). Accordingly, HbA1c self-recording improves glycemic control in diabetic patients.