Implementing a Continuous Glucose Monitoring Hospital Discharge Program: Strategies and Best Practices.

Area of Science:

• Diabetes Management
• Medical Device Implementation
• Healthcare Protocols

Background:

• Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is standard for outpatient diabetes care but underutilized at hospital discharge.
• Hospital discharge is a key opportunity to initiate CGM, educate patients, and improve glycemic control.
• Current barriers include therapeutic inertia, patient selection, insurance issues, and lack of implementation guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an actionable, stepwise protocol for initiating CGM at hospital discharge.
• To guide healthcare providers in integrating CGM into discharge workflows effectively.
• To address challenges associated with CGM initiation in the inpatient-to-outpatient transition.

Main Methods:

• Development of a multidisciplinary protocol by the Johns Hopkins Medicine Council for Clinical Excellence in Inpatient Diabetes.
• Inclusion of patient selection criteria, structured education, and postdischarge care coordination.
• Consideration of barriers like cognitive impairment and device compatibility with imaging.

Main Results:

• The protocol facilitates multidisciplinary coordination for CGM initiation.
• It emphasizes structured patient education and consistent postdischarge follow-up.
• It provides strategies to overcome common implementation barriers.

Conclusions:

• The developed protocol offers a practical foundation for hospitals to initiate CGM at discharge.
• Successful implementation can improve glycemic outcomes, reduce hypoglycemia, and decrease readmissions.
• Anticipated FDA approval for inpatient CGM use will further support this integration.