Hospital in‐patients with diabetes: increasing prevalence and management problems

Abstract

The prevalence of in-patient diabetes (11.1%) was over 50% greater and diabetes management was suboptimal in more patients than in 1991. In many length of stay was prolonged and almost half of the discharge summaries did not mention diabetes. These findings have major implications for service delivery and resource planning.

Prevalence and antithrombotic management of atrial fibrillation in hospitalised patients

“…There is growing evidence and general acceptance for similar hospital-wide services for other conditions, like diabetes, decubitus, stroke and geriatric support 28–31. The AF prevalence rate that we recorded is even higher than the reported 11% prevalence of diabetes among hospital inpatients,28 underscoring the need for similar services for patients with AF.…”

Inpatient blood glucose management of diabetic patients in a large secondary hospital

“…In one United Kingdom hospital, the proportion of hospitalisations of patients with diabetes increased from 7.0% in 1991 to 11.1% in 2003. 2 Health insurance data in the United States indicates that diabetic patients also tend to be admitted 2.4 times more frequently and that their hospital stay is 30% longer than for non-diabetic patients. 3 Numerous studies have been published on the advantages of good glycaemic control and associated improved outcomes.…”

Effect of a diabetes order set on glycaemic management and control in the hospital

“…The panel deemed 91% of diabetes medications ordered with the order set as appropriate. This percentage is higher than that reported in a prior expert review of inpatient diabetes management 30 31. Possible reasons for this difference include the subjective nature of determining what is appropriate, prior clinical experience of panel members, methods used to determine “appropriateness”, institutional culture, and the patient population.…”