Absence of disparities in the quality of primary diabetes care for South Asians and Chinese in an urban Canadian setting

Objective — To examine whether quality of diabetes care is equitable for South Asian and Chinese patients in an urban Canadian setting.

Research Design and Methods — Process and intermediate measures of quality of care were compared between 246 South Asians, 170 Chinese, and 431 patients from the general population with type 2 diabetes selected from 45 family physicians' practices.

Results — A total of 61% of Chinese achieved A1C ≤ 7.0% versus 45% of South Asians and 49% of the general population (P < 0.05). They were also more likely to achieve LDL cholesterol ≤ 2.0 mmol/L, while South Asians were more likely to achieve blood pressure ≤ 130/80. There was only one significant process of care deficiency: fewer foot examinations among South Asians (34 vs. 49% for the general population, P < 0.01).

Conclusions — Quality of diabetes care in a Canadian urban setting was equitable, with ethnic minorities somewhat more likely to achieve recommended targets than the general population.