The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 266 No 7154 p888-891
June 30, 2001

  Medicines promotions
  Primary care pharmacy
  Diabetes
  Veterinary medicines
  Mutual recognition
  Code of Ethics
  Checking technicians
  Disillusioned youth
  Martindale

Diabetes

An idea for pharmacist involvement in screening

From Mr C. R. Cleverly, MRPharmS

If pharmacists are serious about screening for undiagnosed type II diabetics (PJ, June 16, p805), may I suggest that a way forward (for National Diabetes Week next year) would be to make small packs of two or three strips for testing for glucose in urine available free of charge from pharmacies, with suitable publicity, to at-risk patient groups.

The limitations of this relatively unsophisticated approach are obvious in that both false negative and positive results would be inevitable. However, given the abhorrence of the man in the street for even the most superficial of invasive procedures, I suspect that this is the way to get a reasonable degree of compliance from those at risk to initiate a more accurate diagnosis.

Roger Cleverly
Sherborne, Dorset

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