Editor’s Note, DCMS #119

Each week in our newsletter we bring you multiple articles on the reasons for lowering patients’ A1c and controlling their glucose levels. In addition we often include studies that encourage us to use insulin sooner and more aggressively. Anytime we get more aggressive we increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Sometimes this comes from too much insulin, sometimes it comes from improper dosing techniques, and sometimes it occurs from taking oral medicines as well. This week our Diabetes Disaster Averted looks at what happens when we don’t take the time to make sure our patients are using the right techniques to dose their insulin.

Our Homerun Slides focus in on the use of insulin in the hospital, both IV and subQ, and how we can safely convert from one to the other, and our Clinical Text from Diabetic Emergencies: Diagnosis and Clinical Management, looks at the use of the drugs most likely to cause hypoglycemic episodes and how to use them correctly. Our Mastery In Minutes video presentation features Teresa Pearson, RN, who gives us a preview of how medical homes can work from her experience implementing these programs.