Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
12:08
Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
A replicable method for blood glucose control in critically Ill patients.
Alan H Morris1, James Orme, Jonathon D Truwit
1Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine, LDS Hospital and the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. ldamorri@ihc.com
Critical Care Medicine
|June 4, 2008
Summary
Clinician compliance with the eProtocol-insulin for managing blood glucose in critically ill adults exceeded 90%. This computerized protocol improved blood glucose control compared to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Critical care medicine
- Clinical informatics
- Medical device development
Background:
- Explicit clinical trial methods are crucial for interpretability and replicability.
- Ensuring consistent clinician adherence to study protocols is essential for reliable experimental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate clinician compliance with a novel computerized protocol (eProtocol-insulin) for blood glucose management in critically ill adults.
- To determine if compliance rates exceed 90%.
Main Methods:
- Development of an explicit computerized protocol (eProtocol-insulin) for intravenous insulin use in managing blood glucose.
- Monitoring clinician compliance in four intensive care units across four hospitals.
- Comparison of blood glucose distributions with a simple guideline and a paper-based protocol.
Main Results:
- Clinician compliance with eProtocol-insulin ranged from 91% to 98%.
- eProtocol-insulin demonstrated improved blood glucose control compared to a simple guideline and a paper-based protocol.
- Significant increases in glucose measurements within target and decreases in mean blood glucose were observed with eProtocol-insulin.
Conclusions:
- High clinician compliance confirms eProtocol-insulin as a replicable tool for clinical trials in critical care.
- eProtocol-insulin offers superior blood glucose control in critically ill adults compared to existing methods.
- The computerized protocol facilitates consistent and effective blood glucose management.
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