AUSDRISK : application in general practice

Background: The Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (AUSDRISK) has been promoted since July 2008. We studied its application rate and the profile of a sample of general practice patients within Central West New South Wales from June to December 2010. Method: Stage one assessed the awareness and application of AUSDRISK among general practitioners and general practice registrars. In stage two, the doctors used AUSDRISK and appropriate blood tests to screen patients aged 25-74 years who had not been previously diagnosed with diabetes. Results: Seventy-eight doctors (response rate 45.1%) completed the survey. A total of 68.2% of general practice registrars and 23.2% of GPs were aware of AUSDRISK. Among the respondents 14.1% (95% CI: 6-22%) applied AUSDRISK in their usual practice, and 39.1% (95% CI: 31-47%) of the 151 patients had high AUSDRISK scores ≥15. Discussion: Two years after the launch of AUSDRISK, the application rate of AUSDRISK is low. In this patient population, many patients had high AUSDRISK scores.