The Impact of Family History of Diabetes on Glucose Testing and Counseling Behavior in Primary Care
- Harvey J. Murff, MD, MPH12,
- Russell L. Rothman, MD, MPP13,
- Daniel W. Byrne, MS1 and
- Sapna Syngal, MD, MPH45
- 1Division of General Internal Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- 2Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- 3Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- 4Division of Population Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- 5Division of Gastroenterology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Harvey J. Murff, MD, MPH, Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, GRECC, 1310 24th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37212-5381. E-mail: harvey.murff{at}med.va.gov
Epidemiological evidence has revealed increasing prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes (1,2), with an estimated 6.3% of the U.S. adult population having either diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes (3). Individuals with a family history of diabetes are at increased risk of developing diabetes, and lifestyle modification can help reduce this risk (4–6). Several studies have demonstrated that lifestyle choices, such as regular exercise or healthy dietary choices, are associated with a reduced risk of developing diabetes (7–10). The purpose of this study was to determine whether a family history of diabetes was associated with a provider’s decision to screen for diabetes or with a provider’s counseling about lifestyle modifications.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
The study was conducted at two academic primary care clinics in Boston, Massachusetts, that are affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital. A consecutive sample of new patients seen between May 2001 and February 2002 were identified through searching clinic administrative databases. Patient visits associated with either an ICD-9-CM code for a routine medical (V70.0 and V70.9) or gynecologic (V72.3 and V76.2) examination (11) or a CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code for an annual/preventative visit in an adult (99385, 99386, and 99387) (12) were included within our study sample. We excluded …
