Optimal staffing for a good quality inpatient diabetes service.

INTRODUCTION: Increasing numbers of people admitted to hospital have diabetes and need specialist support. To date, there is no mechanism which can help teams estimate the number of health care professionals they need to provide optimal care for people with diabetes in hospitals. METHODS: The Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) for Inpatient Care Group organised a survey of specialist inpatient diabetes teams in the UK for current staffing and the perception of optimal staffing using mailing lists available through their representative organisations. The results were verified and confirmed by one-to-one conversations with individual respondents and discussed in multiple expert-group meetings to agree on the results. RESULTS: Responses were received from 17 Trusts covering 30 hospital sites. Current diabetes specialist staffing level per 100 people with diabetes in hospital (Median, IQR) for consultants was 0.24 (0.22-0.37), diabetes inpatient specialist nurses was 1.94 (1.22-2.6), dieticians was 0.00 (0.00-0.00), podiatrists was 0.19 (0.00-0.62), pharmacists was 0.00 (0.00-0.37), psychologists was 0.00 (0.00-0.00). The teams also reported that for optimal care the total staff needed for each group (Median, IQR) was much higher; consultants 0.65 (0.50-0.88), specialist nurses 3.38 (2.78-4.59), dieticians 0.48 (0.33-0.72), podiatrists, 0.93 (0.65-1.24), pharmacists, 0.65 (0.40-0.79) and psychologists 0.33 (0.27-0.58). Based on the results of the survey, the JBDS expert group produced an Excel calculator to estimate staffing needs of any hospital site in question just by populating a few of the cells. CONCLUSION: Current inpatient diabetes staffing is much lower than needed in most Trusts who responded to the survey. The JBDS calculator can provide an estimate of the staffing needs of any hospital.

Glycated haemoglobin and the risk of postoperative complications in people without diabetes: a prospective population-based study in UK Biobank.

The aim of our study was to clarify the association between glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c ) and postoperative outcomes in people without an existing diagnosis of diabetes. Half a million adults were recruited into the UK Biobank prospective cohort study between March 2006 and October 2010. We divided participants into three groups: no diagnosis of diabetes and HbA1c < 42 mmol.mol-1 ; no diagnosis of diabetes and elevated HbA1c (≥ 42 mmol.mol-1 with no upper limit); and prevalent diabetes (regardless of HbA1c concentration) at recruitment. We followed up participants by linkage with routinely collected hospital data to determine any surgical procedures undertaken after recruitment and the associated postoperative outcomes. Our main outcome measure was a composite primary outcome of 30-day major postoperative complications and 90-day all-cause mortality. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of the primary outcome by group. We limited analyses to those who underwent surgery within one year of recruitment (n = 26,653). In a combined effects logistic regression model, participants not known to have diabetes with HbA1c ≥ 42 mmol.mol-1 had increased odds of the primary outcome (OR [95% CI] 1.43 [1.02-2.02]; p = 0.04), when compared with those without diabetes and HbA1c < 42 mmol.mol-1 . This effect was attenuated and no longer statistically significant in a direct effects model with adjustment for hyperglycaemia-related comorbidity (OR [95% CI] 1.37 [0.97-1.93]; p = 0.07). Elevated pre-operative HbA1c in people without diabetes may be associated with an increased risk of complications, but the association is likely confounded by end-organ comorbidity. In contrast to previous evidence, our findings suggest that to prevent adverse postoperative outcomes, optimisation of pre-existing morbidity should take precedence over reducing HbA1c in people without diabetes.

Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care (JBDS-IP) Clinical Guideline Inpatient care of the frail older adult with diabetes: an Executive Summary.

We present an Executive Summary of a guideline produced by a Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care Writing Group for managing frail older inpatients with diabetes. This represents a multidisciplinary stakeholder consensus document providing more than 100 recommendations in eight areas: functional assessment and detection of frailty; preventative care: assessing risk factors and avoiding hospital admissions; general inpatient management principles; managing therapy choices for the frail older inpatient with diabetes; managing associated comorbidities and concerns; pre-operative assessment and care; discharge planning and principles of follow-up; and end of life care. The document is intended to guide effective clinical decision-making in an inpatient setting and is supported by four appendices: Appendix 1, STOPPFRAIL criteria; Appendix 2, Acute care toolkit 3-Royal College of Physicians; Appendix 3, a description of physical performance and frailty measures for routine NHS application; and Appendix 4, Inpatient Frailty Care Pathway-template. This document is expected to enhance clinical outcomes and overall health status for this vulnerable inpatient population of older people with diabetes. The full version of the guideline, including the appendices, can be found at https://abcd.care/sites/abcd.care/files/resources/Inpatient_Care_of_the_Frail_Older_Adult.pdf.

Guidelines for the management of diabetes services and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UK National Diabetes Inpatient COVID Response Group was formed at the end of March 2020 to support the provision of diabetes inpatient care during the COVID pandemic. It was formed in response to two emerging needs. First to ensure that basic diabetes services are secured and maintained at a time when there was a call for re-deployment to support the need for general medical expertise across secondary care services. The second was to provide simple safe diabetes guidelines for use by specialists and non-specialists treating inpatients with or suspected of COVID-19 infection. To date the group, comprising UK-based specialists in diabetes, pharmacy and psychology, have produced two sets of guidelines which will be continually revised as new evidence emerges. It is supported by Diabetes UK, the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and NHS England.

Guidelines for the management of diabetes in care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The National Diabetes Stakeholders Covid-19 Response Group was formed in early April 2020 as a rapid action by the Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care, Diabetes UK, the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists, and Diabetes Frail to address and support the special needs of residents with diabetes in UK care homes during Covid-19. It was obvious that the care home sector was becoming a second wave of Covid-19 infection and that those with diabetes residing in care homes were at increased risk not only of susceptibility to infection but also to poorer outcomes. Its key purposes included minimising the morbidity and mortality associated with Covid-19 and assisting care staff to identify those residents with diabetes at highest risk of Covid-19 infection. The guidance was particularly created for care home managers, other care home staff, and specialist and non-specialist community nursing teams. The guidance covers the management of hyperglycaemia by discussion of various clinical scenarios that could arise, the management of hypoglycaemia, foot care and end of life care. In addition, it outlines the conditions where hospital admission is required. The guidance should be regarded as interim and will be updated as further medical and scientific evidence becomes available.

Diabetes at the front door. A guideline for dealing with glucose related emergencies at the time of acute hospital admission from the Joint British Diabetes Society (JBDS) for Inpatient Care Group.

People with diabetes account for nearly one-fifth of all inpatients in English and Welsh hospitals; of these, up to 90% are admitted as an emergency. Most are admitted for a reason other than diabetes with only 8% requiring admission for a diabetes-specific cause. Healthcare professionals working in emergency departments experience numerous clinical challenges, notwithstanding the need to know whether each individual with diabetes requires urgent admission. This document has been developed and written by experts in the field, and reviewed by the parent organizations of the Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care-Diabetes UK, the Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurse Group and the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists. The document aims to support staff working in emergency departments and elsewhere by offering practical advice and tools for effective, appropriate and safe triage. Each section relates to the commonest diabetic specific emergencies and algorithms can be printed off to enable ease of access and use.

Clinical guidelines for type 1 diabetes mellitus with an emphasis on older adults: an Executive Summary.

We present a summary of a guideline produced by an international group of experts for managing type 1 diabetes in adults with an emphasis on the special needs of older people with this condition. The rationale for delivering high-quality diabetes care for adults with type 1 diabetes, why it is important to include older people in our considerations, and the key underpinning principles of the guideline are included. The structure of the recommendations given is described and consists of 'general' recommendations followed by 'specific' recommendations according to three categories depending on the characteristics of adults addressed, such as functional level or self-management ability. Recommendations are provided in the areas of: clinical diagnosis, establishing management plans and glucose regulation, diabetes self-management education, nutritional therapy, physical activity, exercise and lifestyle modification, insulin treatments and regimens, use of technology in diabetes management, hypoglycaemia, managing cardiovascular risk, management of microvascular risk, and inpatient management of type 1 diabetes and ketoacidosis.

Determinants of diagnostic discordance for non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and Type 2 diabetes using paired glycated haemoglobin measurements in a large English primary care population: cross-sectional study.

AIM: To investigate factors influencing diagnostic discordance for non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Some 10 000 adults at increased risk of diabetes were screened with HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). The 2208 participants with initial HbA1c ≥ 42 mmol/mol (≥ 6.0%) or FPG ≥ 6.1 mmol/l were retested after a median 40 days. We compared the first and second HbA1c results, and consequent diagnoses of non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and Type 2 diabetes, and investigated predictors of discordant diagnoses. RESULTS: Of 1463 participants with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and 394 with Type 2 diabetes on first testing, 28.4% and 21.1% respectively had discordant diagnoses on repeated testing. Initial diagnosis of non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and/or impaired fasting glucose according to both HbA1c and FPG criteria, or to FPG only, made reclassification as Type 2 diabetes more likely than initial classification according to HbA1c alone. Initial diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes according to both HbA1c and FPG criteria made reclassification much less likely than initial classification according to HbA1c alone. Age, and anthropometric and biological measurements independently but inconsistently predicted discordant diagnoses and changes in HbA1c . CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of non-diabetic hyperglycaemia or Type 2 diabetes with a single measurement of HbA1c in a screening programme for entry to diabetes prevention trials is unreliable. Diagnosis of non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and Type 2 diabetes should be confirmed by repeat testing. FPG results could help prioritise retesting. These findings do not apply to people classified as normal on a single test, who were not retested.

Pre-operative optimisation of the surgical patient with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes: a practical review.

Peri-operative hyperglycaemia, whether the cause is known diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes or stress hyperglycaemia, is a risk factor for harm, increased length of stay and death. There is increasing evidence that peri-operative hyperglycaemia is a modifiable risk factor, and many of the interventions required to improve the outcome of surgery must be instituted before the actual surgical admission. These interventions depend on communication and collaboration within the multidisciplinary team along each stage of the patient journey to ensure that integration of care occurs across the whole of the patient-centred care pathway.

The cost of treating diabetic ketoacidosis in an adolescent population in the UK: a national survey of hospital resource use.

AIMS: Adolescents with Type 1 diabetes commonly experience episodes of ketoacidosis. In 2014, we conducted a nationwide survey on the management of diabetic ketoacidosis in young people. The survey reported how individual adolescents with diabetes were managed. However, the costs of treating diabetic ketoacidosis were not reported. METHODS: Using this mixed population sample of adolescents, we took a 'bottom-up' approach to cost analysis aiming to determine the total expense associated with treating diabetic ketoacidosis. The data were derived using the information from the national UK survey of 71 individuals, collected via questionnaires sent to specialist paediatric diabetes services in England and Wales. RESULTS: Several assumptions had to be made when analysing the data because the initial survey collection tool was not designed with a health economic model in mind. The mean time to resolution of diabetic ketoacidosis was 15.0 h [95% confidence interval (CI) 13.2, 16.8] and the mean total length of stay was 2.4 days (95% CI 1.9, 3.0). Based on data for individuals and using the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) guidelines, the cost analysis shows that for this cohort, the average cost for an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis was £1387 (95% CI 1120, 1653). Regression analysis showed a significant cost saving of £762 (95% CI 140, 1574; P = 0.04) among those treated using BSPED guidelines. CONCLUSION: We have used a bottom-up approach to calculate the costs of an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis in adolescents. These data suggest that following treatment guidelines can significantly lower the costs for managing episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis.

METASTATIC HÜRTHLE CELL CARCINOMA PRESENTING WITH LOW FREE THYROXINE, SEVERE HYPERCALCEMIA AND SPURIOUS GROWTH HORMONE PRODUCTION.

OBJECTIVE: Hürthle cell tumors constitute about 5% of thyroid neoplasms. They have malignant potential, behaving very aggressively compared to other differentiated thyroid cancers. The objective of this case report is to describe a case of a Hürthle cell carcinoma with a single large metastasis in the liver presenting almost 17 years after hemithyroidectomy. We highlight the difficulties in making a histologic diagnosis and the unpredictable nature of this cancer. METHODS: The patient history and biochemistry were detailed. Thyroid function tests analyzed on multiple platforms (single-photon emission computed tomography, dynamic magnetic resonance imaging, technetium-99m bone scan, and radioactive iodine) were used to aid biochemical and radiologic diagnosis. RESULTS: The patient's thyroid function test showed persistently low free thyroxine concentrations with normal thyroid stimulating hormone and free triiodothyronine, suggesting rapid deiodination in the context of a large liver lesion. Radiologic and morphologic appearances of the liver lesion led to an initial misdiagnosis of primary hepato-cellular carcinoma, revised to metastatic Hürthle cell carcinoma after positive immunochemistry. Nonparathyroid hormone-related intractable hypercalcemia of malignancy with an unusual pattern of elevated 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and raised fibroblast growth factor 23 concentrations culminated in his demise. CONCLUSIONS: In Hürthle cell carcinomas treated with partial thyroidectomy, subsequent abnormal thyroid functions tests may herald a more sinister underlying diagnosis. The management of Hürthle cell carcinoma relies heavily on the initial histology results. Histologic diagnosis should be sought earlier in abnormal and suspicious distant masses. Malignant hypercalcemia poses a great challenge in delayed presentations and can prove resistant to conventional treatments.

Management of hyperglycaemia and steroid (glucocorticoid) therapy: a guideline from the Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) for Inpatient Care group.

Glucocorticoids (steroids) are widely used across many medical specialities for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. However, one of their major side effects is the development of hyperglycaemia. It is well recognized that high glucose levels in people with diabetes in hospital are associated with harm and increased lengths of hospital stay. The use of glucocorticoid (steroid) treatment in people with pre-existing diabetes will undoubtedly result in worsening glucose control, and this may be termed 'steroid-induced hyperglycaemia', and will warrant temporary additional, and more active, glycaemic management. A rise in glucose may occur in people without a known diagnosis of diabetes, and this may be termed 'steroid-induced diabetes'. There is a lack of evidence to guide how people with hyperglycaemia should be managed, and much of the guidance given here is a consensus based on best practice collated from around the United Kingdom. Where evidence is available, this is referenced. These guidelines on the management of people with diabetes treated with steroids has been adapted specifically for Diabetic Medicine. The full version of the guidelines can be found on line at: www.diabetes.org.uk/joint-british-diabetes-society or https://abcd.care/joint-british-diabetes-societies-jbds-inpatient-care-group.

Managing hyperglycaemia during antenatal steroid administration, labour and birth in pregnant women with diabetes.

Optimal glycaemic control before and during pregnancy improves both maternal and fetal outcomes. This article summarizes the recently published guidelines on the management of glycaemic control in pregnant women with diabetes on obstetric wards and delivery units produced by the Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care and available in full at www.diabetes.org.uk/joint-british-diabetes-society and https://abcd.care/joint-british-diabetes-societies-jbds-inpatient-care-group. Hyperglycaemia following steroid administration can be managed by variable rate intravenous insulin infusion (VRIII) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) in women who are willing and able to safely self-manage insulin dose adjustment. All women with diabetes should have capillary blood glucose (CBG) measured hourly once they are in established labour. Those who are found to be higher than 7 mmol/l on two consecutive occasions should be started on VRIII. If general anaesthesia is used, CBG should be monitored every 30 min in the theatre. Both the VRIII and CSII rate should be reduced by at least 50% once the placenta is delivered. The insulin dose needed after delivery in insulin-treated Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes is usually 25% less than the doses needed at the end of first trimester. Additional snacks may be needed after delivery especially if breastfeeding. Stop all anti-diabetes medications after delivery in gestational diabetes. Continue to monitor CBG before and 1 h after meals for up to 24 h after delivery to pick up any pre-existing diabetes or new-onset diabetes in pregnancy. Women with Type 2 diabetes on oral treatment can continue to take metformin after birth.

Self-management of diabetes in hospital: a guideline from the Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) for Inpatient Care group.

The aims of these guidelines are to improve the inpatient experience and safety for people with diabetes through effective self-management. The guidelines are aimed primarily at healthcare professionals working in hospitals, although some aspects are relevant to staff involved in pre-admission preparation. The guidelines suggest an approach to providing patient information, the circumstances in which self-management is appropriate, the development of care plans and the elements needed for effective self-management. This document is an abridged and modified version of 'Self-management of diabetes in hospital' adapted specifically for Diabetic Medicine. The full version can be found online at: www.diabetes.org.uk/joint-british-diabetes-society or https://abcd.care/joint-british-diabetes-societies-jbds-inpatient-care-group.