Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
Committee Chair
Lenora Smith
Committee Member
Angelina Szuch
Subject(s)
Prediabetic state--Diagnosis, Type 2 diabetes--Prevention, Medical screening
Abstract
The prevalence of diabetes in the United States for those aged 18 or older climbed considerably from 2001 to the present. Diabetes affects 37.3 million citizens in the United States and 13% of global citizens. Of the 37.3 million individuals affected, 28.7 million have a diagnosis of diabetes, while close to nine million individuals are unaware of a diabetes diagnosis. Prediabetes, characterized by elevated glucose levels not yet classified as diabetes, is a vital warning sign for the progression of type 2 diabetes. Close to 100 million individuals in the United States have prediabetes. However, early screening and detection of individuals with prediabetes remains suboptimal, leading to missed opportunities for early prevention or delayed onset of type 2 diabetes. Early interventions, such as early screening for prediabetes, and the National Diabetes Prevention Program, have been shown to reduce the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes through modifiable risk factors. This practice change project implemented a prediabetes risk test screening tool, which resulted in a 100% increase in the number of patients referred to National Diabetes Prevention programs when used along with body mass index, fasting glucose, and HbA1c. The referral was made for patients with positive results of two or more criteria, with 50% attending their first prevention class.
Recommended Citation
Warner, Jackie, "Integrating a prediabetes risk screening test in primary care: impact on referrals to diabetes prevention programs" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). 139.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-dnp/139