Preventing Hypoglycemia Is More Effective Than Treating

Abstract

Hypoglycemia refers to a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of blood glucose (blood glucose less than 70 mg/dl). It often occurs in people who have diabetes, especially those who use insulin or certain oral medications to manage their blood sugar levels. However, it can also affect individuals who don't have diabetes and it is a potentially life-threatening condition that is very much preventable. Our study examines the effect of system-based interventions on outcomes associated with serious hypoglycemia. Many hospitals have developed protocols to guide the treatment of these conditions and align with best practices. From December 22 to May’23, we noted an increasing trend of hypoglycemia among the admitted patients in our organization with rates ranging from 0.5 to 3 per 1000 patients' days and an average rate of 0.7 which was alert to the Nursing team, the quality initiative project on early detection of hypoglycemia and its reduction to strengthen the system to enhance patient safety was taken. There is a reduction of cases from 14 to 04 during the six-month interventional phase. There was a marked improvement in events of nocturnal hypoglycemia which was not recordable previously, symptomatic, asymptomatic episodes and RT feeding related events, with oral glucose 32% of patients were managed, rest with 25% Dextrose IV administration. Prompt interventions &management and timely escalation of cases resulted in no ICU transfer achieving better patient care outcomes. Hence providing safe, effective management of hypoglycemia throughout the hospital and supporting the organization's goals to control blood glucose, we developed a formal evidence-based hypoglycemia protocol and treatment algorithm.