An insulin infusion computer calculator appears to be safe and effective in a wide variety of clinical situations and was able to be successfully transitioned from a Web-based platform directly into the electronic medication administration record (eMAR) of an electronic health record system, according to a study published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 6,306 adult patients at their institution who received intravenous insulin infusion between March 2013 and May 2019. They assessed the percentage of readings within a goal range— 90-150 mg/dL for ICU, 90-180 mg/dL for non-ICU—in patients with and without hyperglycemic emergencies during a pre-eMAR integration period, the eMAR integration period, and a post-eMAR integration period. As safety endpoints, they looked at incidence of blood glucose readings less than 70 mg/dL, less than 54 mg/dL, and less than 40 mg/dL. Approximately 70% of readings were in the 90-150 mg/dL range during the pre-eMAR and post-eMAR periods, while about 83% of readings were in the 90-180 mg/dL range during both of these periods in patients without hyperglycemic emergencies. During both the pre- and posteMAR periods, rates of hypoglycemia with blood glucose readings less than 70 mg/dL were 0.43%, less than 54 mg/dL were 0.07%, and less than 40 mg/dL were 0.01%.
