Assessment on Inpatient Glycaemic Control in General Medical Wards, Putrajaya Hospital

Inpatient hyperglycaemia is common and associated with poor outcomes such as increased mortality and prolonged hospital stay. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of inpatient hyperglycaemia and glycaemic control in Putrajaya Hospital, Malaysia. Secondary objectives were to compare the length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission rate, and death between controlled and uncontrolled glycaemic groups.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 July and 31 December 2019 among patients in medical wards who had a blood glucose (BG) level of > 7.8 mmol/L and stayed in the wards for ≥ 24 h. We retrieved information on demographics, diabetes history and BG profiles. The definition of controlled glycaemic status is when ≥ 80% of BG readings were between 4.0 mmol/L and 10.0 mmol/L during the hospital stay.

The prevalence of inpatient hyperglycaemia was 55.2%. There were 841 patients who met the eligibility criteria; their mean age was 60 (13.8) years old. Most (79.4%) of the patients were Malay and 53.9% were male. There were 452 (53.7%) patients in the uncontrolled group. They were younger and admitted with more kidney complications compared to those in the controlled group. The median LOS for both groups was 3 (2) days. The uncontrolled group showed a higher percentage of readmission within 30 days (7.5% versus 4.6 %) and death during admission (3.3% versus 1.6 %) (P = 0.100 and P = 0.082).

The prevalence of inpatient hyperglycaemia was high. More than half of them had uncontrolled BG. Both groups had a similar average length of stay. The 30-day readmission rate and death during admission were higher in the uncontrolled group, although statistically not significant.