Effectiveness of a Diabetes Focused Discharge Order Set Among Poorly Controlled Hospitalized Patients Transitioning to Glargine U300 Insulin

Diabetes is present in 25% of hospitalized patients; yet effective hospital discharge programs for patients with diabetes are understudied. In particular, patients who are initiating or intensifying insulin therapy have the most to benefit in terms of glycemic control. However, these patients are also particularly vulnerable to poor transitions of care for a variety of reasons, including the complexity of therapy, inadequate patient education, differences in patient and provider expectations, and insufficient resources. Disruption of insulin therapy following hospitalization is associated with higher HbA1c, shorter survival, and increased readmissions and medical costs. In a Society of Hospital Medicine Survey, only one fourth of hospitals were supported with written protocols to standardize medication, education, equipment, and follow-up instructions. However, discharge order sets have largely been limited to the inpatient setting and have not been utilized to guide insulin use at hospital discharge. This study will assess whether a nurse supported diabetes focused inpatient discharge order set (DOS) can improve post-discharge outcomes among hospitalized patients with poorly controlled insulin-requiring diabetes.

In this 24 week randomized controlled trial, hospitalized insulin-requiring patients with type 2 diabetes and poor glycemic control (HbA1c \>8.5%) will receive standard of care insulin therapy including basal insulin glargine U300 (TOUJEO®) plus additional background therapy (non-insulin and prandial insulin therapies) with either a diabetes focused discharge order set (DOS) and follow-up communication to facilitate insulin titration and outpatient follow-up or enhanced standard care (ESC). 222 patients (type 2 diabetes) will be recruited. Hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c \>8.5%) who are receiving basal insulin at least 10 unit per day and are able to provide informed consent and complete study procedures will be approached. All patients will be discharged on glargine U300 with initial doses determined by the discharging team. Patients in the DOS group will receive instructions for self-titration of basal insulin as part of the discharge order. The DOS contains a comprehensive checklist for basic diet, hospital follow-up, glucose targets and instructions for monitoring, insulin pens and pen needles, glucose testing supplies, and ancillary orders. Patients will have follow-up phone calls at week 2, 6, and in-person visits at week 12 and 24. Phone calls will assess adherence with instructions for self-titration in the DOS group but are information gathering only in the ESC group, and questions related to care will be referred to the usual provider. Glucose lowering medication management following discharge will otherwise be conducted by the patient's usual or designated standard of care provider. The study and all study-related documents will be approved by the OSU IRB. All data analyses will be completed as intention to treat analyses. Longitudinal outcomes (e.g., HbA1c) will be analyzed using mixed models utilizing all available measurements from individuals randomized.