Adherence to NICE guidelines on diabetes prevention in the UK: Effect on patient knowledge and perceived risk

NICE Guidelines for prevention of diabetes include identifying people at risk followed by cost-effective intervention if necessary. Based on assessment of risk via a questionnaire and/or blood test the intervention may comprise a brief discussion of risk factors and preventive advice or referral to intensive lifestyle intervention.

In this cross-sectional study 59 subjects recruited from local GP practices were invited by letter to attend a screening for a diabetes prevention study.

Following a telephone screening during which subjects were asked whether they had been informed if they were at high-risk of type 2 diabetes, eligible subjects completed a Risk Perception Survey for Developing Diabetes (RPS-DD), a validated diabetes risk score and underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at a medical screening.

As measured by the Diabetes UK Risk Score, 44.1% were at high risk, 42.4% moderate risk and 13.6% at increased risk. 42% of patients had been informed they were at high-risk by a health professional. Those who had been informed of their risk had significantly higher perceived risk scores (p<0.001), higher knowledge scores (p<0.001) and decreased optimism scores (p=0.004), but were not more aware that diet (p=0.42) and weight management (p=0.57) can play a role in preventing diabetes.

People at high-risk of diabetes are not being informed of their risk status as recommended by NICE guidelines. There is scope for education for health professionals and the public.