A client is scheduled for a routine glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) test. What is important for the nurse to tell the client before this test?
1. Drink only water after midnight and come to the clinic early in the morning.
2. Eat a normal breakfast and be at the clinic 2 hours later.
3. Expect to be at the clinic for several hours because of the multiple blood draws.
4. Come to the clinic at the earliest convenience to have blood drawn.
Rationale: (4)
Glucose attaches to the hemoglobin molecule of the red blood cell. A glycosylated hemoglobin test gives an average of blood glucose over the past 3 to 4 months, and a blood sample can be obtained at any time during the day. It is not used in the diagnosis of diabetes and does not need to be a fasting specimen. (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, et al, 8 ed., p. 1223.)