A method has been proposed to reduce the fluctuation in blood sugar levels when diabetes patients are hospitalized.
Hospitalization has been pointed out as the worst environment for diabetes patients. This is because the repeated processes of fasting, testing, and surgery (or procedures) lead to increased inflammation and pain levels, making it difficult to maintain consistent blood sugar levels in an environment where meal quantities are erratic. For patients who need to use medications that affect blood sugar levels, such as steroids, IV fluids, and chemotherapy, the conditions become even more challenging.
Patients with significant fluctuations in blood sugar levels face a higher risk of infection and an increased possibility of various complications. As a realistic alternative to this, the role of a 'hospitalist' is often mentioned. A hospitalist is a specialist responsible for patient care and management from admission to discharge. They oversee diagnosis, testing, medication, treatment, and safety management, which allows them to respond immediately to fluctuations in blood sugar levels for diabetes patients.
In this regard, a research team from Yongin Severance Hospital announced on the 12th that they confirmed through a one-on-one empirical study that hospitalists can provide significant help in suppressing blood sugar fluctuations in diabetes patients.
The research team first selected 441 diabetes patients who were managed by a hospitalist during their hospitalization at Yongin Severance Hospital and compared them with 441 patients who received care from existing departments. They then measured the blood sugar levels of these patients four times a day for up to 14 days and compared how the fluctuations in blood sugar levels changed.
Analysis of all patients revealed that, overall, the longer the hospitalization period, the greater the fluctuation in blood sugar levels. For each additional day of hospitalization, blood sugar fluctuations increased by approximately 0.48%p. However, when limited to the patient group managed by the hospitalist, the fluctuations in blood sugar levels were significantly suppressed. The rate of increase in blood sugar fluctuations was more than 80% slower.
The research team stated, "This change was similarly observed in patients who had difficulty managing their blood sugar levels before hospitalization, and it was noted that patients whose blood sugar levels were erratic outside the hospital or who had longer hospitalization periods did not experience sudden spikes or drops in blood sugar when managed by a hospitalist."
Professor Kyung Tae-young from the Department of Hospital Medicine at Yongin Severance Hospital, who participated in this study (the first president of the Korean Society of Hospital Medicine), said, "It has been proven multiple times that hospitalists contribute to reducing patients' hospitalization periods or mortality rates, but there have not been many studies showing that they can improve blood sugar fluctuations in diabetes patients who experience difficulties after hospitalization. This study reaffirms the necessity of hospitalists."
The results of this study were recently published in the international journal 《Journal of Clinical Medicine (JCM)》.
