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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
Does the hospitalization after a cancer diagnosis modify adherence to process indicators of diabetes care quality?
Laura Policardo1, Alessandro Barchielli2, Giuseppe Seghieri3
1Agenzia Regionale Sanità Toscana, Via Pietro Dazzi 1, 50141, Florence, Italy.
Aims:
This study was designed to answer the question whether surgery due to newly diagnosed cancer may modify quality of diabetes' management, as suggested by current guidelines.
Methods:
Adherence to guideline composite indicator (GCI), a process indicator including one annual assessment of HbA1c and at least two among eye examination, serum lipids measurement and microalbuminuria, was evaluated between years 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 in 158,069 diabetic patients living in Tuscany, Italy, on 1 January 2011 and surviving on 31 December 2015, of whom 661 were hospitalized in index year 2013 for a surgery procedure due to a newly incident cancer. Difference in GCI modification (DELTA_GCI) of these patients was compared with that of diabetic people without cancer, strictly matched for main confounders by means of a propensity score.
Results:
In diabetic patients with cancer, GCI adherence increased by about 8 % between years 2011-2012 and 2014-2015. When compared with controls, DELTA_GCI increased by 6 % in cancer group compared with controls (p < 0.05), but any significance was lost after matching the groups by propensity score (3 %; p = NS).
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that a hospitalization for a surgical procedure due to a newly diagnosed cancer does not influence the compliance to a quality process indicator of diabetes care such as GCI.
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