Endocrine Abstracts

Effective inpatient diabetes care has significant impact on patient safety and early patient recovery. This audit was conducted as a snapshot study on 19th June 2025, as part of our ongoing annual review to determine the proportion of admitted patients with diabetes and to assess their diabetes care needs. We found that 23 of 73 patients (32%) who were admitted under medical and surgical teams, had diabetes – an increase from 20 to 25% in the previous years’ audits. 28% of inpatients had type 2 diabetes and 4% had type 1 diabetes. Hyperglycaemia (capillary blood glucose >10 mmol/l/l) was recorded in 44% of inpatients with diabetes, and hypoglycaemia (capillary blood glucose <4 mmol/l/l) was recorded in 13%. Only 23% of inpatients with diabetes were consulted with Diabetes Team at the time of the audit, compared to 50-60% in the previous years’ audits. There were no diabetes medication errors identified. There was one incidence of hospital-acquired diabetic ketoacidosis and no incidence of hospital-acquired hyperglycaemia hyperosmolar syndrome noted. HbA1c values over the last 3 months were available for 48% of inpatients with diabetes. Our study identified that on an average day, approximately one in three inpatients in our acute hospital have diabetes, and approximately half of them required input from the Diabetes Team. Thus, we conclude that the burden on inpatient diabetes services at our hospital remains high, and there is a clear need for admitting teams to involve Diabetes Team early in the admission process to optimize glycaemic parameters and expedite patient recovery.