An evaluation of a Specialist Nurse prescriber on diabetes in-patient service delivery

Courtenay, Molly ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8639-5917, Carey, N., James, J., Hills, M and Roland, J. M. 2007. An evaluation of a Specialist Nurse prescriber on diabetes in-patient service delivery. Practical Diabetes International 24 (2) , pp. 69-74.

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a diabetes specialist nurse (DSN) prescriber on insulin and oral hypoglycaemic agent medication errors, length of hospital stay, and patients' ability to self-manage their diabetes whilst in hospital. The setting was six wards in a single United Kingdom district general hospital trust. The standard in-patient care of a convenience sample of diabetic patients treated with insulin and/or oral hypoglycaemic agents was evaluated before (n = 187) and after (n = 265) the intervention of a DSN prescriber. Prospective data were collected in order to measure insulin and oral hypoglycaemic medication errors, and length of stay (i.e. primary outcome measures). A secondary outcome, the extent to which patients felt able to manage their care, was measured using a self-report questionnaire. The results showed that the median number of insulin and oral hypoglycaemic agent medication errors was lower in the intervention group (four vs six, p<0.01). The median length of stay was less for patients in the intervention group (seven vs nine days, p<0.05). In all, 61% (59/96) of patients in the pre-intervention group, compared with 71% (90/126) of patients in the intervention group (p = 0.118), reported that they were able to manage their diabetes during their hospital stay. It was concluded that a DSN prescriber reduced prescribing errors. This reduction had some effect on length of stay. The cost saving was at least sufficient to self-finance the cost of a DSN prescriber post. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Healthcare Sciences
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell
ISSN:	1357-8170
Last Modified:	27 Oct 2022 10:05
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/68863

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