AUDIT OF DIABETIC CARE IN A SAUDI PRIMARY CARE SETTING

OBJECTIVE: To audit the care offered to diabetic patients attending the Family and Community Medicine Clinic (FAMCO), King Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of medical records of 45 diabetic patients who regularly visited the clinic during a one-year period from June 1997 to May 1998. SUBJECTS: Patients who presented at the clinic because of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type II). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The level of care for diabetic patients was relatively inappropriate, and some important parameters were under-recorded. Specific measures to improve and promote diabetic care in FAMCO clinics need to be undertaken. These include formulating and using protocols for diabetes management and better training of health-care providers.