New guidance: Glucose related emergencies at the time of acute hospital admission

Diabetes at the Front Door, the latest guidance from JBDS, aims to provide practical tools for “effective, appropriate and safe triage” for adults with diabetes attending acute emergency departments and emergency decision units for diabetes-specific problems.

The guidelines include:

• Hyperglycaemic emergencies, hyperglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state
• An example pathway to decide whether someone presenting with hypoglycaemia needs acute hospital admission or not
• The treatment of hypoglycaemia
• Diabetes assessment in people with known and unknown previous diagnosis of diabetes
• Diabetes decision support tool: Management of hyperglycaemia

Joint author June James, Diabetes Nurse Consultant at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “People with diabetes account for nearly a fifth of all inpatients in English and Welsh hospitals; of these, up to ninety per cent are admitted as an emergency. Most are admitted for a reason other than diabetes with only eight per cent requiring admission for a diabetes specific cause.

“Healthcare professionals working “at the coalface” experience numerous clinical challenges, notwithstanding the need to know whether each individual with diabetes requires urgent admission. This document has been developed by experts in the field and aims to support staff by offering practical advice and tools for effective, appropriate and safe triage.”

View the guidelines here: Diabetes at the Front Door: A guideline for dealing with glucose related emergencies at the time of acute hospital admission.