Allowing Patients to Use Personal Diabetes Technology in Hospital Improves Glycemic Control and Reduces Length of Stay

Allowing patients to continue using their personal diabetes technology during hospitalization improves glycemic control and reduces length of stay, according to recent findings reported by Medscape Medical News.

The development centers on continued use of insulin pumps and related devices such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and automated insulin delivery (AID) systems in the inpatient setting, which has been shown to improve outcomes for people with diabetes.

Research indicates that the use of diabetes technology, including insulin pumps, CGM devices, and AID systems, has been shown to improve glycemic outcomes and quality of life in outpatient settings, with CGM specifically reducing the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and severe hypoglycemia.

In the hospital setting, where altered diet and stress-induced hyperglycemia often challenge tight glycemic control using conventional tools, integrating personal diabetes technology offers potential benefits. Advanced diabetes technology has the potential to improve glycemic control in hospitalized individuals with and without diabetes, particularly in contexts such as nutrition therapy or perioperative management.

This narrative review describes the most recent literature on the use of diabetes technology in the hospital and suggests avenues for further research.

Recent findings indicate that advanced diabetes technology has the potential to improve glycemic control in hospitalized people with and without diabetes, and could add particular value in certain conditions, such as nutrition therapy or perioperative management.

Taken together, CGM allows for more accurate and patient-friendly follow-up and ad hoc titration of therapy.

AID may also provide benefits, including improved glycemic control and reduced nursing workload.

Before advanced diabetes technology can be used on a large scale in the hospital, further research is needed on efficacy, accuracy and safety, while implementation factors such as cost and staff training must also be overcome.

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Many institutions still require POC blood glucose monitoring with variable frequency (1–6 times daily) for individuals continuing insulin pump use.