Latest diabetes and COVID-19 guidance published

Healthcare professionals can now access new guidelines on how to support people with diabetes who have been admitted to hospital with coronavirus.   

Entitled ‘Concise advice on Inpatient Diabetes’, the guidance aims to safely bridge the gap between care processes in secondary and primary care for individuals with diabetes who have been infected with the virus.

Healthcare professionals can also use the recommendations to help safely discharge people with hyperglycaemia.

According to the guidelines, a review of an HbA1c result when hospitalised with COVID-19 is recommended before discharge as it can help differentiate stress hyperglycaemia from previously undiagnosed diabetes. Additionally, it gives an indication of the preceding glycaemic control and degree of insulin resistance. However, if an HbA1c is not available it does not necessarily delay discharge.

The guidance also states that other factors should be taken into consideration when planning a safe discharge and follow-up care, including a person’s frailty, BMI, blood pressure rate and renal function.

Whether a person has heart failure, learning disabilities, significant mental health problems or if they are pregnant should also be factored in before being discharged, the guidelines outline.

They also say that hospital duration directly related to COVID-19 can also influence when a person is discharged.

The guidance also states that: “An appropriate level of clinical diabetes support should be available following discharge, based on the individual person’s needs.”

The suggested guidelines will support professional clinical judgement and local clinical pathways.

To access the guidelines, click here.