The diabetic day-care unit. I. Development of an index to evaluate diabetes control.

In order to measure the effect of a diabetic day-care unit on diabetes control two scoring scales were constructed, one for insulin-dependent diabetics and the other for patients managed by diet or oral agents or both. Both scales were based on observations of blood and urine glucose concentrations, ketonuria, symptoms of diabetes and deviation from ideal weight. The scale for insulin-dependent diabetics also included the frequency and severity of insulin reactions and frequency of hospital admission for acidosis. Scores for 45 insulin-dependent patients and for 55 diabetics treated by diet with or without oral agents in the unit indicated significant improvement in diabetes control in both groups.