Annals of Saudi medicine
-
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) has been used for decades to monitor the control of glycemia in diabetes. Although HbA1cis currently undergoing a reassessment, and major developments have been underway in recent years, HbA1c is not recommended at present for diabetes screening or diagnosis. The objective of this review is to summarize the recent developments and to review a potential diagnostic role for HbA1c. ⋯ While recent developments in HbA1c methodologies are acknowledged, it is not yet known which changes will be implemented, and how soon. Given the recent literature supporting HbA1c diagnostic abilities, and given the shortcomings of the current guidelines, it is possible that a diagnostic role for HbA1c may be considered in future practice guidelines, globally. Very recently, the first of such recommendations has been proposed by an expert panel, as announced by the US Endocrine Society.
-
Annals of Saudi medicine · Nov 2008
Admissions through the emergency department due to drug-related problems.
Hospital admissions due to drug-related problems (DRPs) have been studied internationally, but local data are limited. Therefore, we undertook a prospective, observational study of all admmissions through the emergency department (ED) at a tertiary referral hospital in Saudi Arabia to determine the incidence of admissions through the ED due to DRPs, types of DRPs, length of stay (LOS) in the hospital after ED admissions due to DRPs, and assessment of preventability of admissions due to DRPs. ⋯ DRPs are a serious and costly issue facing health care professionals and health care systems. Most admissions due to DRPs are avoidable.