Objective

This retrospective study compares the safety and efficacy of two-hour blood glucose checks (q2hour) to one-hour blood glucose checks (q1hour) with use of an electronic glucose management system (EndoTool) for intravenous insulin dosing.

Setting

Cohort of five unaffiliated acute care hospitals.

Results

• Incidence of hypoglycemia <70 mg/dL was lower for q2hour checks than q1hour checks (0.24% vs 0.29% of blood glucose readings).
• Percentage of blood glucose readings more than 5 minutes late was lower for q2hour checks than q1hour checks (38.7% vs 44.3%).
• Mean blood glucose was lower for q2hour checks than q1hour checks (126 mg/dL vs 149 mg/dL).
• Variance from mean was lower for q2hour checks than q1hour checks (20% vs 25%).

Conclusions

Measures of hypoglycemia and blood glucose control observed with q2hour checks are superior to q1hour checks, affirming that EndoTool recommendations for q2hour checks are appropriate and hospitals can enjoy a positive impact to nursing workflow and reduced costs of care.