Standardizing Diabetes Measurement

DLS serves as the reference laboratory for measuring hemoglobin A1c. The A1c test measures the amount of glucose in a person's blood over a 2 - to 3 - month period and is a tool to monitor diabetes. Higher levels of hemoglobin A1c may mean that a person's diabetes is out of control. The American Diabetes Association has set specific diabetes treatment goals for hemoglobin A1c. For this reason, the test must be accurate-otherwise, health care providers won't have the right information to make good decisions about treating patients with diabetes. The laboratory helps to improve the measurement of hemoglobin A1c nationally by supporting the efforts of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine to standardize glycated hemoglobin A1c, and it provides support to the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program.