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In-hospital hyperglycemia

Guidelines

Key sources

The following summarized guidelines for the evaluation and management of in-hospital hyperglycemia are prepared by our editorial team based on guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA 2025), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP 2024), the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM 2024), the Endocrine Society (ES 2022), the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI/AHA/ACC 2022), the European ...
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Diagnostic investigations

HbA1c testing: as per ADA 2025 guidelines, obtain HbA1c testing in all patients with diabetes or hyperglycemia (random blood glucose > 140 mg/dL; > 7.8 mmol/L) admitted to the hospital if no HbA1c test is available from the prior 3 months.
B
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Medical management

General principles
As per ADA 2025 guidelines:
Consult with a specialized diabetes or glucose management team when accessible when caring for hospitalized patients with diabetes (with an existing or new diagnosis) or stress hyperglycemia.
B
Tailor structured discharge plans to individual patients with diabetes.
B

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  • Treatment targets

  • Insulin therapy

  • Non-insulin therapy

Inpatient care

Prevention of hypoglycemia
As per ADA 2025 guidelines:
Review treatment plans and change as necessary to prevent hypoglycemia and recurrent hypoglycemia when a blood glucose value of < 70 mg/dL (> 3.9 mmol/L) is documented.
B
Adopt a hypoglycemia management surveillance protocol. Establish a plan for identifying, treating, and preventing hypoglycemia for each patient. Document episodes of hypoglycemia in the hospital in the health record and track to inform quality improvement.
E

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  • Glucose monitoring

Perioperative care

Oral carbohydrate fluids: as per ES 2022 guidelines, avoid administering preoperative carbohydrate-containing oral fluids in adult patients with T1DM, T2DM, or other forms of diabetes undergoing surgical procedures.
D

Specific circumstances

Pediatric patients: as per SCCM 2024 guidelines, initiate glycemic management protocols and procedures to treat persistent hyperglycemia ≥ 10 mmol/L (180 mg/dL) in critically ill pediatric patients.
E
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Patient education

Patient education: as per ES 2022 guidelines, consider providing inpatient diabetes education as part of a comprehensive diabetes discharge-planning process in adult patients with diabetes hospitalized for a non-critical illness.
C

Quality improvement

Institutional protocols: as per ADA 2025 guidelines, ensure that institutions implement protocols using validated written or computerized provider order entry sets for the management of dysglycemia in the hospital allowing for a personalized approach.
B