Going to Hospital with Diabetes

• Being prepared for hospital can reduce the time you need to spend in hospital and speed your recovery.
• While you are in hospital you will be supported to be as independent with your diabetes management as you wish. Don’t worry if you require extra support – there is plenty help available.
• Blood glucose (sugar) control can be different in hospital due changes in what you are eating, your physical activity levels, and the effect of your illness or surgery.

If your admission is planned, think about whether there is anything you can do to be as prepared as possible and who could support you in doing this. Consider making an appointment with your routine health care professionals to discuss this and come up with a plan. Examples include:

• Improving your HbA1c – Often a level of 69mmol/mol is recommended but you should discuss your own target and how to achieve it with your health care professionals.
• Can you stop smoking?
• Can you improve your physical fitness?
• Is your mood or mental wellbeing affecting how well you can look after your health?

It is also helpful to:

• Know your medications. If there are changes to them at the time of illness and surgery, then understand why the changes were made
• Know your foot risk by checking on your mydiabetesmyway account or by asking someone to do the “touch the toes test”. If you are at risk of a foot ulcer, ask the team looking after you to ensure you get appropriate protection – see CPR for feet. 
• Bring your own meter and plenty test strips if you want to test using your own meter
• If you are on insulin or sulfonylurea you may want to bring your own treatments for a hypo (blood glucose less than 4)
• Bring all your medicines, including insulin, with you
• On discharge: make sure you know who to contact, or arrange to be seen, after an admission – particularly if there have been changes in your medications