Screening for Prediabetes in the Inpatient Setting

Problem Statement: Many patients that utilize the hospital system do not see a primary care provider and, therefore, miss important screenings. The hospital system can provide convenient screenings, or screenings conducted whenever a patient encounters the health system regardless of their chief complaint (Obinwa et al., 2020). Purpose: Determine whether convenient prediabetes screenings administered to admitted patients on an Intermediate Critical Care Unit (ICCU) detect prediabetes at a higher rate than no formal screenings. Methods: Participants will be sampled from those admitted to an intermediate critical care unit at a large acute-care facility. Inclusion Criteria: Any adult patient (\u3e18 years old) admitted to the intermediate critical care unit without a previous diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes will be screened for prediabetes. Analysis: A Spearman correlation will be used to evaluate the relationship between screening high risk on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) prediabetes risk test and having an elevated HbA1c within the range for prediabetes diagnosis. A cost analysis will be conducted to determine the sustainability of the intervention and potential to replicate the screenings throughout the entire organization. Implications for Practice: Early identification of prediabetes can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes and the complications that could result from this disease process (Zand et al., 2018; Hemmington et al., 2018)