Summary
Training and testing for capillary blood glucose and ketone levels on triage: impact on the early management of diabetic ketoacidosis in an emergency department
Ena J, Amillo M, Panadero A, Rosales M, Guzmán-Libreros AP, Navarro-Díaz FJ
Affiliation of the authors
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Marina Baixa, Villajoyosa, Alicante, Spain. Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Marina Baixa, Villajoyosa, Alicante, Spain.
DOI
Quote
Ena J, Amillo M, Panadero A, Rosales M, Guzmán-Libreros AP, Navarro-Díaz FJ. Training and testing for capillary blood glucose and ketone levels on triage: impact on the early management of diabetic ketoacidosis in an emergency department. Emergencias. 2016;28:243-6
Summary
Objective.
(DKA) in an emergency department.
Material and methods. Quasi-experimental study with preintervention (January 2010 to November 2013) and postintervention (January 2014 to June 2015) periods in patients over the age of 15 years with DKA in a secondarycare hospital emergency department. The intervention consisted of training sessions for emergency physicians and
nurses, the measurement of glucose on triage, and testing for ketonemia with beta hydroxybutyrate strips on detection of a high glucose level. The outcome variables were the percentages of patients receiving intravenous insuline
and isotonic saline within an hour of triage.
Results.
(P=.001); isotonic saline administration increased from 51.2% to 80.0% (P=.031).
Conclusion. A strategy that includes training and glucose and ketone testing on triage could facilitate earlier management of DKA in emergency departments.