Glycemic Control
Importance
Good glycemic control, as measured by A1C, reduces the risk of diabetes complications.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
For most people with diabetes, the A1C goal should be <7%. However, it is important to individualize A1C goals when needed. For example, tighter goals for younger and healthier people may be appropriate. Less stringent goals may be necessary for people who are older and/or have multiple comorbidities.
Required Key Measure
Must be reported by grantees that select this Best Practice.
Number and percent of individuals in your Target Group with most recent A1C <8.0%.
- Improvement: Increasing the number and percent of individuals in your Target Group who achieve this measure shows improvement.
- Timeframe: The timeframe for collecting data on the Required Key Measure will be January 1st to December 31st.
- Data Collection: For more information on data collection and reporting, see the SDPI Outcomes System (SOS).
Target Group Guidance
Select your Target Group* from adults and/or youth with diabetes.
* Exclude pregnant individuals.
You are required to report Required Key Measure data for one Target Group for your selected Best Practice. A Target Group is the largest number of patients/participants that your grant program can realistically serve. The following should be considered in selecting your Target Group:
- The size and characteristics (e.g., ages, health status, settings) of the community or patient population that you are going to draw your Target Group from
- Intensity of the activities/services you plan to do
- SDPI funding and other resources available to provide activities/services
Resources and Tools
Below are selected resources and tools specific to this Best Practice. Additional resources that may be useful for all Best Practices can be found in the SDPI Best Practice Resources.
IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention
- Diabetes Education Lesson Plan: Taking Medications [PDF – 589 KB]
- Diabetes Standards of Care and Resources for Clinicians and Educators: Glycemic Control
- Glucose Management in Type 2 Diabetes Algorithm
- SDPI Diabetes Healthy Heart Toolkit: Module 3: Implement a Healthy Heart Program
- Recorded CME/CE Webinars:
- Management of Type 2 Diabetes: An Update and Review of Non-Injectable Pharmacological Treatment
- Management of Complex Diabetes Cases
- Helping Your Patient with Diabetes: Engagement and Communication Strategies to Optimize Your Approach
- Insulin Management
- Insulin Resistance: Explanations and Treatment Approaches
- Navigating Insulin Pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitors for Improved Diabetes Management
- Update on Biosimilar Insulins for Diabetes Management
American Diabetes Association
- American Diabetes Association. 6. Glycemic Goals and Hypoglycemia: Standards of Care in Diabetes 2024
Diabetes Care 2024;47(Supplement_1):S111–S125. doi.org/10.2337/dc24-S006 - American Diabetes Association. 9. Pharmacologic Approaches to Glycemic Treatment: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2024
Diabetes Care 2024;47(Supplement_1):S158–S178. doi.org/10.2337/dc24-S009 - The Big Picture: Checking Your Blood Sugar