Evaluation of Hypoglycemia Causes and Treatment at a Community Hospital
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Evaluation of Hypoglycemia Causes and Treatment at a Community HospitalAbstract
Hypoglycemia is defined as dangerously low blood glucose levels of less than 70 mg/dL where action, such as administration of glucose, is required to raise the blood glucose levels to the target range. This review seeks to analyze hypoglycemic episodes to determine the cause of hypoglycemia, assess treatment, and identify areas for improvement to enhance patient outcomes and prevent hypoglycemia. This is a retrospective chart review of patients who experienced a hypoglycemic event during their stay between 1/2020 to 12/2020. Patients who experienced a blood glucose level less than 70 mg/dL were identified and randomly selected for review. Patients under 18 years of age and obstetrical patients were excluded. 120 patients were reviewed, with a median blood glucose of 59 mg/dL. 19.2% of patients experienced a severe blood glucose less than 50 mg/dL. Basal insulin was the most common cause of hypoglycemia along with low feeding status. Average time between last basal insulin dose and hypoglycemia was approximately 10 hours with a majority of basal insulin given in the evening and hypoglycemia occurring in the morning. 95.8% of patients had the institutional standard hypoglycemic treatment protocol orders available for use prior to the hypoglycemic event, and 62.5% of patients were treated per protocol. The treatment protocol should always be used to treat hypoglycemia to ensure standardization, and education to nurses on how to use the protocol appropriately is necessary.Collections