DOES HANDING OUT LEAFLETS TO PATIENTS AT REGISTRATION INCREASE DIABETES

Background: Among Singaporeans with diabetes, 1 in 3have not been diagnosed. A large proportion ofSingaporean adults are not current for theirrecommended diabetic screening.Objective: To determine whether handing out diabetesscreening leaflets to patients at the point of registrationin a general practice (GP) clinic would influence theiruptake of diabetes screening.Design: A randomized controlled trial with a follow-upperiod of 3 months. Outcome measured was whetherpatients did the diabetes screening test (fasting plasmaglucose).Intervention: A leaflet on diabetes screening was givento patients when they registered in the GP clinic. Thecontrol group did not receive a leaflet.Setting: A GP clinic in Toa Payoh, a suburb in centralSingapore.Participants: 97 patients 40 years old and above whowere not known diabetics.Results: There was no significant difference in theuptake of diabetes screenings between the interventionand the control group (p=0.740).Conclusion: Handing out leaflets at registration in theGP clinic does not change uptake of diabetes screening.

TRANSLATING THEORIES INTO PRACTICE

Prevention of disease is one of the key functions ofprimary care. Vaccines have earned their place inpreventing communicable diseases. The rate of uptake ofvaccines does not always match with knowledge.There are barriers which the healthcare professionalsneed to address. In the new era of IT, innovation andpolicy change, many ideas can be pursued to improvevaccination uptake in the community.There is a group of our population who will need ourspecial attention to vaccinate. They are the healthcareworkers, caregivers, the foreign domestic helpers, theimmunocompromised, and the pregnant mothers.There are many areas we need to work on to improve ourvaccination rate. Primary Care Research will provide theevidence and guide the refinement of these programmes.