Date on Paper

8-2023

Document Type

Doctoral Paper

Degree Name

D.N.P.

Department

Nursing

Committee Chair

Williams-Coleman, Beverly

Committee Member

Ross, Ratchneewan

Author's Keywords

diabetes mellitus; hypoglycemia; nursing; inpatient; protocol; quality improvement

Abstract

Diabetes is a growing epidemic with profound implications on the healthcare system. One of many possible complications is hypoglycemia, which is any value below 70 mg/dL. Inpatient hypoglycemia is a patient safety concern, and its treatment requires nursing adherence to strict protocols including a recheck within 15 to 30 minutes after treatment. However, evidence from the literature and project site demonstrated low rates of timely post-hypoglycemia rechecks. The purpose of this project was to provide education to all MIPS nurses regarding the utilization of a reminder tool for post-hypoglycemia rechecks. The intervention plan included reviewing the current hospital-wide hypoglycemia policy, describing how to use the reminder tool within Epic, and distributing a step-by-step handout. Rates of timely post-hypoglycemia rechecks were compared pre-intervention vs. post-intervention. Also, the usability of the reminder tool was measured post-intervention using the System Usability Scale (SUS). The process-based aim was acceptable usability of the reminder tool as evidenced by an average post-intervention SUS score greater than 70. The outcome-based aim was an increase in timely rechecks from 64% to hospital-wide goal of 75%.

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