case study
Henry Ford Hospital System Glycemic Control
A regional healthcare system needs to educate nurses and patients on glycemic control to reduce patient recidivism.
Challenge
During hospital stays patients often have heightened blood sugar (glycemic) levels due to the physical stresses of their illnesses, even if they are not diabetic prior to coming to the hospital. These high blood sugar levels, if unmanaged, can be very dangerous. While in the hospital, patient blood sugar levels are managed by nurses through scheduled blood testing, management of diets, and treatment with insulin. However, when patients return home this level of attention on blood sugar levels often relaxes, with potentially life threatening results. Additionally, recent changes in insurance laws now require hospitals to cover the costs for return visits of patients when the cause of the return is related to high glycemic levels.
Since nurses are the frontline of patient care, their increased awareness on the importance of educating patients on glycemic control contributes to improvement in patient post-hospitalization health.
