PREP-D V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Proactive review for people with diabetes in hospital: a cluster randomised feasibility study and process evaluation
IRAS ID
302069
Contact name
Andrea Lake
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN70402110
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 21 days
Research summary
Recent audits in the UK demonstrated that one in six NHS hospital beds is occupied by someone with diabetes. Because activity levels, food intake and general well-being are different in hospital compared to home, diabetes management is challenging and often outside of the experience of those providing inpatient care. Good blood sugar levels are achieved for less than half of the hospital inpatient days. Furthermore, 20% have an episode of dangerously low blood sugar.
Patients with diabetes are typically only referred for specialist input from a diabetes nurse after they have had dangerously low or high blood sugar levels. This study aims to explore whether a proactive (rather than reactive) review by diabetes nurses is potentially beneficial. We aim to find out what staff and patients think of this approach and test whether a larger study could directly compare proactive reviews to current practice. This will be done by allocating at random four wards to receive the proactive reviewing service while another four wards will continue to receive usual care.
If admitted to a ward randomly allocated to proactive reviewing a patient with diabetes will be proactively reviewed while if a patient has diabetes and is admitted to a ward randomly allocated to usual care, they will only receive the review if their doctors or nurses requests it (current practice).
Patients will be included if they are adults, have diabetes and are not already being looked after by the diabetes doctors. Routinely available Information will be collected such as blood glucose test results and the length of time the patient spends in hospital to check the data required is routinely available and good quality. We will also explore if the study is acceptable to patients, healthcare professionals and manager by completing interviews with them and direct observations of diabetes related care.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EE/0275
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion