For a cost of $ 10,405 per stay, hypoglycemia at the hospital can not be ignored

Guest speakers, Dr. Richard Pratley of Florida Hospital System and Dr. Steven Edelman of UC San Diego Health, recently delivered a unified message to several hundred veteran health professionals participating in a webinar from the American Hospital Association. : L & # 39; hypoglycemia [low blood sugar] at the hospital is a major risk to patient safety with significant clinical and financial implications. A case study presented by Pratley also found that patients undergoing insulin management who had severe hypoglycaemia or blood sugar levels below 40 mg / dL had longer stays, readmission rates, and higher mortality and a higher overall cost of care of $ 10,405 to patients whose blood sugar remains in the normal range.

Watch the recorded webinar and download the slideshow right here.

Pratley and Edelman are considered opinion leaders in the field of diabetes and have written several hundred peer-reviewed articles. Pratley is currently deputy medical director of research and education at the Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute; Senior Researcher and Diabetes Program Lead at the Institute for Translational Research for Metabolism and Diabetes; and an badistant professor at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Edelman is Director of the Diabetes Treatment Clinic at VA San Diego Healthcare System; Founder and Director of Taking Control of Your Diabetes 501 (c) 3; and professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego.

The webinar, Improve the quality and cost of diabetes care: How the Florida hospital system has discovered and reduces the risk of hypoglycemia, presented the relationship between insulin and hypoglycemia and the benefits of systematization, standardization and personalization of care. Edelman has reinforced some of the most revealing national insulin statistics: 50% of medication errors relate to insulin, one-third of which is life-threatening; The use of insulin and other hypoglycaemic agents is badociated with 57% of the adverse effects of the drug; and about a quarter of all safety-related insulin-related incidents caused harm to the patient. **

"Insulin is the standard for controlling blood glucose in the hospital, but it's very difficult to manage, especially in patients whose metabolic and medical status is changing over time," Edelman said. "This is a SERIOUS problem, and because this is a very serious problem, CMS is developing a measure of hypoglycemia and will hold hospitals accountable." When asked what it is thought of the first line of defense against hypoglycemia, few endocrinologists Edelman replied in his hospitals: "I am rather in favor of the use of technology. Yes, with technology, there is a whole level of education, but I can tell you that once you put in a little time and effort, the system is extremely impressive and can help patients get through the hospital, avoid unwanted events and get them out of the system. hospital in a timely manner. "

Pratley revealed that the Florida hospital system and its parent, AdventHealth (formerly known as the Adventist Health System), had adopted the Glytec eGlycemic Management System. ^{provide decision support at the enterprise level for the optimization of insulin therapy. The health system then reduced severe hypoglycemia from 40% to 95% (patient-days) compared to paper protocols.}

Pratley also reminded the audience that at any given time, about 30% of hospitalized patients had diabetes. It is therefore a problem that will not go away. "The management of diabetes at the hospital is not a strategy that is to do everything to forget it, it must be personalized," said Pratley. "It's perhaps the pinnacle of a patient-centered approach."

Pratley closed his remarks by calling for action: "The priorities of the hospital are many, but it is clearly a problem that affects a large number of patients, it is clear that there are a large number of adverse events badociated with treatment. Clearly, we can do better and we have the tools to do better! "

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About Glytec

Glytec is the pioneer of personalized digital therapies, enabling the implementation of best insulin optimization practices across the continuum of care. FDA-approved and patented medical device software solutions improve the safety and health of people with diabetes in the hospital and at home. Glytec combines evidence-based decision support technologies and specialized clinical services to make insulin a more effective medicine for millions of people unable to meet their therapeutic goals, resulting in lower rates A1C, hypoglycaemia and other complications, as well as preventable emergency visits, hospitalizations and readmissions. and drug waste. The company has offices in Waltham, Mbadachusetts and Greenville, South Carolina. For more information, visit www.glytecsystems.com.

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