Medication Mistakes Putting Diabetes Patients At Risk

Recent checks have revealed the nearly one in three hospital patients with diabetes are affected by medication mistakes that can lead to dangerously high or low blood glucose levels

Hospitals in England and Wales made at least one error in the treatment of 3,700 people with diabetes during just one week, according to an audit covering nearly 13,000 patients at 230 hospitals.

While this represented a small improvement on previous figures for England alone, Diabetes UK, the main charity in the field, said the overall picture was an "indictment" on NHS care for those with the condition.

Its chief executive, Barbara Young, said: "The fact that there are so many mistakes, and that for some people a stay in hospital means they get worse, should simply not be happening.

"Poor blood glucose management, caused by errors in hospital treatment, is leading to severe and dangerous consequences for too many people. For example, there are a number of recorded episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis, the result of extremely high blood glucose levels caused by a lack of insulin."

Gerry Rayman, a consultant physician and head of service at Ipswich Hospital Trust's diabetes and endocrine centre, who was clinical lead for the audit, said there was a long way to go for diabetes care. Most hospital doctors and ward nurses still did not have basic training in insulin management and glucose control, he said.

"Training needs to be mandatory to improve diabetes control and reduce the frequency of severe hypoglycaemia. It is also needed to prevent diabetic ketosis occurring in hospital, for which there can be no excuse; its occurrence is negligent and should never happen."

(H)