COVID-19 response group publishes diabetes hospital discharge document
Guidance on discharging people with diabetes who had been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 has been published to ensure the process is done safely.
The National Inpatient Diabetes COVID-19 Response Group, set up during the COVID-19 crisis, has released the hospital discharge document for healthcare professionals to try and alleviate readmissions.
Chaired by Professor Gerry Rayman, the group has already published a series of helpful documents. The most recent one, ‘COncise adVice on Inpatient Diabetes (COVID Diabetes) Safe and supported discharge to reduce readmissions and improve patient flow’ has just been published.
The clinical guidance has been pulled together with insight from clinical leads across UK centres which has so far gathered the greatest experience of looking after people with COVID-19.
The first document was Concise Advice on Inpatient Diabetes (COVID: Diabetes) Front Door Guidance.
The clinical guidance has been pulled together with insight from clinical leads across UK centres which has so far gathered the greatest experience of looking after people with COVID-19.
The latest document advises on safe discharge of people using insulin and recommends that local guidance on insulin dose adjustment and how to obtain advice should be supplemented.
The authors wrote: “When planning a discharge it is essential that there is liaison between the person with diabetes, the discharging team, diabetes and community teams to agree an individualised discharge care plan with the aim to ensure that systems are in place.”
The document also lays out a series of clinical scenarios which have been devised to assist teams when planning a safe discharge for a person using insulin.
The authors added: “The key aim is to ensure that the person is safe at the point of discharge and that an individualised discharge care plan is in place, to include ongoing further education.”
To access the document, click here.
The Response Group has also issued other documents to aid healthcare professionals during the pandemic.
- COncise adVice on Inpatient Diabetes (COVID:Diabetes): Guidance for managing inpatient hyperglycaemia
- COncise adVice on Inpatient Diabetes (COVID:Diabetes): Guideline for managing DKA using subcutaneous insulin
- COncise adVice on Inpatient Diabetes (COVID:Diabetes) – Front Door Guidance This guidance is for diabetes specialist teams, as well as all those involved in delivering care to people with diabetes at the front door.
- View a letter from the team highlighting the need to maintain patient safety whilst accelerating patient flow through the system, including preventing avoidable admissions and readmissions.
- Maintaining acute diabetes services in response to COVID-19
- Speciality template for acute diabetes services
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