The clinical impact of a fast fructosamine service

This study was undertaken to determine whether serum fructosamine results could be made available during routine diabetic out‐patient attendance and to assess the clinical impact of such a service. A blood sample was taken for serum fructosamine from 180 consecutive diabetic patients attending the out‐patient clinic. Results became available to the clinician within a median of 50 mins (range 30‐80 mins) of the patient's arrival. This identified 43/180 (24%) patients in whom glycaemic control was worse than initially appreciated, and it allowed immediate discussion of ways to try and improve treatment.