The reason for hospital admission can be either related to diabetes or due to other medical condition or illness. This article concentrates only on hospital admissions, where diabetes is not the primary reason for hospitalization. Admissions with the DKA, HONK, severe hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia are discussed in the Diabetes – Hospital Admissions.

If a person with diabetes is admitted to hospital due to any other reason but diabetes, it is generally agreed that patient’s diabetes is best controlled without any changes in their diabetes treatment.

However, in the presence of illness, especially infection, and trauma, the glucose control may prove difficult.

In addition, there are several other factors, which may affect glucose control while you are in hospital:

- the alteration into the types of food consumed in the hospital compared to food consumed usually at home,
- different timings of meals throughout the day in the hospital will wary from usual routines at home,
- changes to usual daily physical activities,
- symptoms accompanying the illness, such as pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, high temperature, etc.
- treatment interventions, such as administering of other medications, minor procedures, scans, or surgery.

Despite all these obstacles that you may come across when admitted to hospital, the management of diabetes should be the responsibility of both the patient and the health care professional. The patient should understand that well managed diabetes is essential for uncomplicated recovery and early discharge, and by sharing their responsibility the best result can be achieved.

Additionally, the patient should expect that some changes into their usual diabetes treatment might be inevitable. These changes may be either short-term while the patient is in hospital or long-term, which will continue after discharge, but may be reviewed and altered by the diabetic clinic later on.

The main reason for any change into diabetes management while the patient is in hospital is the aim to maintain optimal blood glucose control. Hyperglycemia is a very negative factor in the body recovery process, and it worsens short-term prognosis for many acute conditions, such as stroke and acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, every effort should be made to keep blood glucose within ranges, hence changes into usual diabetes management while in hospital.

In addition, there are other reasons for implementing changes into established diabetes management while the patient is in hospital, including:

o patient’s medical condition, which may upset the blood glucose levels,
o interventions related to the medical condition (e.g. need for ‘nil-by-mouth’, or surgery),
o changes in the patient’s diabetes.

Author: Inka Sembol
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: WordPress plugin Guest Blogger