Glycaemic management during enteral feeding for people with diabetes in hospital

Glycaemic management during enteral feeding for people with diabetes in hospital - Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care (JBDS-IP)

Foreword: 
Enteral feeding is a commonly used tool to aid nutrition in hospitals. Adequate nutrition is essential to recovery. Managing glycaemic control in people with diabetes receiving enteral feed can be challenging. The largest group of people with diabetes using enteral nutrition are people admitted with stroke but this is also used for post-surgical management and, less frequently, for gastroenterological conditions.

The recent national survey has shown that there is currently considerable variability in the management of diabetes inpatients fed enterally (1). Variation in the inpatient management of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia in people receiving enteral feeding may slow patient recovery and potentially result in further complications such as poor wound healing or super-added infection (2-10).

The aim of this document is to provide guidance to multidisciplinary teams – general physicians, surgeons, specialists, nursing staff, dietitians, and nutrition teams. It aims to provide pragmatic guidance for the inpatient management of people who have diabetes and who require a period of enteral feeding to improve patient outcomes and patient experience.

This document has been produced by the Joint British Diabetes Societies for Inpatient Care group (JBDS–IP) on behalf of Diabetes UK, the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD), and the Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurse (DISN) UK Group. 

This document is produced following a review of the available clinical evidence in this area, the results of a recent national survey, together with the input of a working group of clinical staff with expertise in diabetes and enteral feeding. 


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