UCF Study Seeks to Quantify Early Diabetes Detection in Urgent Care

It’s not all that unusual for patients to be diagnosed with diabetes in an urgent care center they’ve visited for unrelated complaints. The question is, how common or uncommon is it, and will knowing the answer to that question help urgent care providers be better prepared for such occurrences? We may have a better idea once the Urgent Care Foundation (UCF) finishes its study to measure the benefits of diabetes screening in urgent care. With diabetes on the rise in the U.S., actively screening for it in urgent care centers could truly lead to life- and limb-saving interventions that might otherwise have been delayed or never initiated. The study will include roughly 5,000 patients who meet the criteria for the Early Diabetes Detection Protocol (EDDP) adapted from the 2016 American Diabetes Association Guidelines, as assessed at 12 urgent care centers. The EDDP considers adults ≥45 years or older with elevated body mass index (BMI) or high blood pressure, and with one or more risk factors for diabetes. Participants found to be at risk will be further screened with fingerstick testing for HbA1c levels. Principal investigator Shannon Clark, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-C, president, CEO and founder of Synergy Health Center & Urgent Care in Pleasanton, CA previously conducted a study with 64 participants at Synergy, in which 15.6% patients were diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes.