Diabetes Patients Benefit From Electronic Records

Electronic medical records (EMRs) help hospitalized diabetes patients maintain a steadier control of glucose levels, according to a new study.

Karla M. Arce, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Florida, said the finding was significant because patients with high glucose levels tend to be less healthy and have longer hospital stays than those whose glucose levels remain steady. Diabetes patients who are elderly or who have sepsis or liver disease also have higher mortality rates if glucose levels aren’t adequately controlled.

EMRs help maintain a consistent glucose level, Arce said, because they help doctors avoid prescribing unnecessary or duplicate medications.

Arce and her colleagues performed another that showed patients admitted to hospitalization often did not have adequate tests to determinie whether they were  prediabetic or diabetic.  Newly diagnosed diabetes patients are at greater risk of death than those who have a history of the disease, and adequate diagnosis would enable physicians to carefully treat and monitor them.