Researcher: Sarah Lawson, MD
Posted: June 6, 2024 | Published: February 5, 2024
A study led by experts at Cincinnati Children's Hospital found that family-controlled insulin pumps outperform hospital-delivered injections across a range of care teams and settings.
A study of more than 2,700 children with insulin-dependent diabetes who were hospitalized for various reasons has demonstrated that a family-controlled insulin pump can safely control blood sugar levels without the need for hospital-provided insulin injections.
In many ways The findings will be published in February 2024. in JAMA Network OpenThe findings confirm what medical teams at some hospitals have already experienced in recent years, but the researchers say the data from the single-center study is robust enough that it can be applied to many other hospitals, even if they have different patient populations and approaches to care.
“The use of home insulin pumps is safe and should be considered for most non-intensive care unit hospitalizations,” say the study's lead author. Sarah Lawson, MDHe serves as hospital insulin safety officer at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
The study tracked patients' hospital outcomes over a six-year period, excluding admissions to intensive care units or inpatient psychiatric wards.
Co-authors from Cincinnati Children's Hospital include Jody Owens, BSN, and Michelle Lawrence, RN, from the Department of Endocrinology, Joshua Courter, PharmD, from the Department of Pharmacy, Christine Schuler, MD, MPH, from the Department of Hospital Medicine, and Lindsay Hornung, MS, from the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.