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Management of Diabetes and Hyperglycemia in the Hospital: A Systematic Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines

Linnea M. Wilson, S. Herzig, E. Marcantonio, Michael A. Steinman, M. Schonberg, Brianna X. Wang, Ella Hileman-Kaplan, Timothy S. Anderson

Diabetes Care, 2025

21 citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Inpatient hyperglycemia is common among adults, and management varies.

PURPOSE

To systematically identify guidelines on inpatient hyperglycemia management.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, Guidelines International Network, and specialty society websites were searched from 1 January 2010 to 14 August 2024.

STUDY SELECTION

Clinical practice guidelines pertaining to blood glucose management in hospitalized adults were included.

DATA EXTRACTION

Two authors screened articles and extracted data, and three assessed guideline quality. Recommendations on inpatient monitoring, treatment targets, medications, and care transitions were collected.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Guidelines from 10 organizations met inclusion criteria, and 5 were assessed to be of high quality per the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch & Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument. All guidelines recommended monitoring blood glucose for patients with diabetes and nine for admission hyperglycemia. Eight guidelines recommended an upper blood glucose target of 180 mg/dL, five with a lower limit of 100 mg/dL and three of 140 mg/dL. Guidelines were in agreement on using capillary blood glucose monitoring, and three guidelines included discussion of continuous monitoring. Hyperglycemia treatment with basal-bolus insulin alone (n = 3) or with correction (n = 5) was most commonly recommended, while sliding scale insulin was advised against (n = 5). Guidance on use of oral diabetes medications was inconsistent. Five guidelines included…

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