(P310) Implement Changes in Inpatient Nursing Workflow to Reduce Hypoglycemic Events

In the hospital setting, the occurrence of a hypoglycemic event, defined as a glucose of 70mg/dl or less, can often be prevented by administering insulin no more than 60 minutes from the last glucose results. This poster outlines how we were able to decrease the time between glucose results and insulin administration, thereby reducing hypoglycemia, by relieving our Patient Care Associates (PCAs) of obtaining the point-of-care glucose. Instead, Registered Nurses were assigned to collect the point-of-care glucose readings and administer the insulin during the same visit. Changing the operational nursing workflow removed communication delays and decreased the time interval between glucose testing and insulin administration, resulting in fewer hypoglycemic events.