Perioperative diabetes care

People with diabetes occupy approximately 18% of all acute inpatient hospital beds in the UK, compared with 6.5% of the general population. For those undergoing surgery, having diabetes is known to be associated with increased harms, however harm is defined. For those undergoing elective surgery, there is a defined patient journey, starting with referral from primary care to surgical outpatients, then onto preoperative assessment clinic before being admitted for surgery, and then from recovery through to discharge home. Because of the multiple causes for possible harm, communication between members of the healthcare team at each stage of this journey and with the person with diabetes is essential.Recently, the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcomes and Death has shown that the care of people with diabetes undergoing surgery needs to be improved, and they have made several recommendations that trusts should adopt to minimise the harms in this vulnerable population.