(HealthDay News) — Many Americans with type 2 diabetes may be getting unnecessary tests — and, in some cases, needless changes in medication, according to a study published in The BMJ.
The study’s findings are based on insurance claims made between 2001 and 2013 for 31 545 patients aged 18 and older with type 2 diabetes. All of the adults in the study had glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels that were consistently below 7% within the previous 2 years.
Nearly 55% underwent HbA1c tests 3 or 4 times per year. Another 6% had at least 5 tests per year. Frequent HbA1c tests were also associated with increased odds that patients would be started on additional medications to control their glucose levels.
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“I think part of the problem is that we often think more testing is better,” lead researcher Rozalina McCoy, MD, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told HealthDay.
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