STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF GUIDELINES AND HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT MANAGEMENT ON DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS PATIENTS

Objective: To examine the quality of management of DKA and to assess the influence of guidelines and medical HDU on management. Material and Methods: This study was performed on 87 patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). A comparison was made of the standards of DKA management before and following the introduction of local guidelines and after the establishment of the medical HDU (High dependency unit) Results: Before starting the study our hypothesis was that ʹʹThere should be gross improvement in the way these patients were managed after establishment of the guidelines and HDU". In our study this was not confirmed. We found important areas where proper management was lacking. Conclusion: The introduction of guidelines and the availability of a medical HDU had little influence on the management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Fluid electrolyte management remained sub optimal and areas of concern.