One in three diabetes patients 'are given the wrong medication while in hospital'
- - A third of patients in England and Wales experienced a 'medication error' during a five
- week audit
- - The audit found that 61 patients had developed life threatening ketoacidosis during a
- hospital stay
- - Charity Diabetes UK says it is 'appalling' that anybody should develop the preventable
- condition
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Worrying: A third of patients in hospitals in England and Wales experienced a 'medication error' during the five-day National Diabetes Inpatient Audit (file picture)
One in every three diabetic patients are given the wrong medication while in hospital, a new report suggests.
A third of patients in hospitals in England and Wales experienced a 'medication error' during the five-day National Diabetes Inpatient Audit.
The audit, conducted last September, also found that 61 patients developed a life-threatening but preventable complication due to poor care.
Charity Diabetes UK said it is 'appalling' that any patients should develop diabetic ketoacidosis during a hospital stay.
The audit, which examined data from 13,400 patients, also found that a fifth of patients suffered from hypoglycaemia while in hospital.
Bridget Turner, director of policy and care improvement at Diabetes UK, said: 'It is appalling that some people with diabetes are being so poorly looked after in hospitals that they are being put at risk of dying of an entirely preventable life-threatening condition.
'Even a single case of diabetic ketoacidosis developing in hospital is unacceptable because it suggests that insulin has been withheld from that person for some time.
'The fact that this is regularly happening raises serious questions about the ability of hospitals to provide even the most basic level of diabetes care.
'In every aspect of hospital diabetes care that this report shines a light on, the picture that emerges is profoundly disturbing.
'Medication errors are being made with alarming regularity, large numbers of people are not getting foot checks that we know can help prevent amputation, while one in 10 people’s blood glucose level is dropping dangerously low during their hospital stay.
'Put together, this adds up to a situation where in too many cases hospitals are doing people with diabetes more harm than good.'
Life threatening: The audit, which examined data from 13,400 patients, also found that a fifth of patients suffered from hypoglycaemia while in hospital
Audit lead clinician Dr Gerry Rayman said: 'The purpose of this annual audit is to drive improvements in care for inpatients with diabetes, so I am pleased to see there has been some progress on problems highlighted in previous years’ reports, for instance around insulin prescribing.
'But staffing levels remain low, and it is of grave concern that some patients are developing DKA, which is a potentially life-threatening complication in hospital.
'This is due to their needs being neglected and should simply never happen.'
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