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Knowledge Hub

Diabetes UK report slams inpatient safety

What’s wrong with the patient safety for diabetes patients?

 

Diabetes UK has called on providers and commissioners to improve the safety of inpatient care for diabetes patients following an analysis of National Diabetes Inpatient Audit data.

 

The call comes in a report titled Making hospitals safe for people with diabetes.

 

The audit shows that while some hospitals are making significant improvements in diabetes care, there are still large variations in care between different trusts.

 

It also reveals that as many as 260,000 people with diabetes experienced a medication error that could have resulted in serious harm or death, and 58,000 had an episode of severe hypoglycaemia.

 

Also, during 2017 some 9,600 patients fell into a coma due to hypoglycaemia and 2,200 suffered from diabetic ketoacidosis due to under-treatment with insulin.

 

The report authors noted that many people with diabetes fear going into hospital because of doubts that their condition will be managed effectively. Some 92% of patients in hospital who have diabetes are admitted for reasons other than diabetes.

 

Further information

Diabetes UK: Making hospitals safe for people with diabetes

NHS Digital: National diabetes inpatient audit

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