Use of a standardized protocol to decrease medication errors and adverse events related to sliding scale insulin.

PROBLEM: Sliding scale insulin (SSI) is frequently used for inpatient management of hyperglycemia and is associated with a large number of medication errors and adverse events including hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.
DESIGN: Observational before and after study evaluating the impact of implementation of a standardized SSI protocol and preprinted physician order form.
SETTING: University Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. STRATEGY FOR CHANGE: Guidelines for the use of SSI were created by an interdisciplinary committee and implemented in non-intensive care units. In addition, a preprinted physician order sheet was developed which included the guidelines and an option for ordering one of three standardized insulin sliding scales or a patient specific scale. EFFECT OF CHANGE: One year after implementation the physician order form was used for 91% of orders and, overall, 86% of SSI orders followed the guidelines. The number of prescribing errors found on chart review was reduced from 10.3 per 100 SSI patient-days at baseline to 1.2 at 1 year (p = 0.03). The number of hyperglycemia episodes 1 year after implementation decreased from 55.9 to 16.3 per 100 SSI patient-days. LESSONS LEARNT: The protocol was readily accepted by hospital staff and was associated with decreased prescribing errors and decreased frequency of hyperglycemia.