UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Pitfalls of Single Measurement Screening for Diabetes and Hypertension in Community-Based Settings

Olivier, S; Murray, T; Matthews, P; Mhlongo, N; Gunda, R; Baisley, K; Gareta, D; ... Siedner, MJ; + view all (2021) Pitfalls of Single Measurement Screening for Diabetes and Hypertension in Community-Based Settings. Global Heart , 16 (1) , Article 79. 10.5334/gh.1083. Green open access

[thumbnail of 1083-4594-1-PB.pdf]
Preview
Text
1083-4594-1-PB.pdf - Published Version

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Cross-sectional screening programs are used to detect and refer individuals with non-communicable diseases to healthcare services. We evaluated the positive predictive value of cross-sectional measurements for Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) as part of a community-based disease screening study, ‘Vukuzazi’ in rural South Africa. Methods: We conducted community-based screening for HTN and DM using the World Health Organization STEPS protocol and glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing, respectively. Nurses conducted follow-up home visits for confirmatory diagnostic testing among individuals with a screening BP above 140/90 mmHg and/or HbA1c above 6.5% at the initial screen, and without a prior diagnosis. We assessed the positive predictive value of the initial screening, compared to the follow up measure. We also sought to identify a screening threshold for HTN and DM with greater than 90% positive predictive value. Results: Of 18,027 participants enrolled, 10.2% (1,831) had a screening BP over 140/90 mmHg. Of those without a prior diagnosis, 871 (47.6%) received follow-up measurements. Only 51.2% (451) of those with completed follow-up measurements had a repeat BP>140/90 mmHg at the home visit and were referred to care. To achieve a 90% correct referral rate, a systolic BP threshold of 192 was needed at first screening. For DM screening, 1,615 (9.0%) individuals had an HbA1c > 6.5%, and of those without a prior diagnosis, 1,151 (71.2%) received a follow-up blood glucose. Of these, only 34.1% (395) met criteria for referral for DM. To ensure a 90% positive predictive value i.e. a screening HbA1c of >16.6% was needed. Conclusions: A second home-based screening visit to confirm a diagnosis of DM and HTN reduced health system referrals by 48% and 66%, respectively. Two-day screening programmes for DM and HTN screening might save individual and healthcare resources and should be evaluated carefully in future cost effectiveness evaluations.

Type: Article
Title: Pitfalls of Single Measurement Screening for Diabetes and Hypertension in Community-Based Settings
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.5334/gh.1083
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.5334/gh.1083
Language: English
Additional information: © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Keywords: Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems, Cardiovascular System & Cardiology, hypertension, Diabetes, Screening, AFRICA, CARE
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Infection and Immunity
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10140895
Downloads since deposit
24Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item