Takeaway
- In this study at an Australian emergency department (ED), 1 in 20 patients presented with hyperglycaemia and without previously recognised diabetes.
- They received dismally low rates of appropriate follow-up.
- Authors call for routine screening and better management.
Why this matters
- Failure to respond to high glucose measurements represents a lost opportunity.
Key results
- Prevalence of hyperglycaemia in patients without previously recognised diabetes: 5.2%.
- Rates in nested cohort of:
- Follow-up HbA1c testing: 7.5%.
- Adequate glucose monitoring: 9.5%.
- Appropriate hyperglycaemia treatment: 6.5%.
- Documentation of follow-up plan: 2%.
Study design
- Retrospective cross-sectional study of adults presenting to a Melbourne ED in a recent 6-month period with hyperglycaemia and no previous diabetes diagnosis (n=1178).
- The hospital had just instituted universal random glucose screening as part of all ED plasma testing.
- Authors assessed appropriate treatment and follow-up rates within a nested cohort (n=200).
- Outcomes: rate of hyperglycaemia and of appropriate medical response.
- Funding: None disclosed.
Limitations
- Small single-centre study.
References
References